Atonement
by yume girl 91
Summary: Swayed by her confusing feelings for the Arrancar, Rukia finds herself snared in Aizen's web of lies, forced to play a part in seeking the Hogyoku. Auish UlquiRukiIchi
1. Chapter 1

Atonement.1

To feel is to have sentient thought. He could see, could hear, could speak yet did not have this simple sensation. Did not understand why the humans and the like put such emphasis behind something so trivial. So meaningless. A feeling was something he could not see therefore it did not exist. He believed in only that which the emerald eyes of his that chilled the Shinigami before him to the bone could see. It was as if he could see right through her to her absolute being.

The fragile, frail part of her that supported the meager life system upon which all life is based. Defiantly she dared to raise her sword, hesitance in her manner for it was quite obvious she could not take him. Fear, coppery, and almost metallic tasting he could sense it in the air. _Did she know she was to die?_ _That the white sands were to be stained red with her blood_? He would devour her soul and all that it contained within it.

~~~*~~~

The Hollow made the first move. Unafraid for the horror of that night and the nightmares it entailed still hadn't left her. That's what she was here for wasn't she? For atonement. To atone for murdering Kaien-dono. Rukia remembered the words he said and thought briefly: _please give me strength, wherever you are_.

She swung out, dealing a partial slice to the Hollow's arm. Evading a swipe aimed for her torso, she leapt upward, bending her body and twisting to the side as she skimmed the sand and delivered two diagonal cuts to the snow-white skin. Her feet skated and then she twirled her blade, bringing it down across the creature's neck. The cold blade landed heavily in the sand as the Hollow had vanished in a fast moving blur. Rukia spun around, her eyes darting, catching faint movements in a semicircle around her. Calculating the odds of landing a strike, she lunged to the left and sharply felt pain tear into her side.

Liquid seeped wetly, causing the black kimono to cling stickily to her skin. Gritting her teeth, she jerked around and met the face of the Hollow only inches from hers. Unruly jet-black hair stuck out from the bottom of the horned mask, jaws gaping neared her cheek. Foul breath rattled noisily from the confining airways beneath the bone. Rukia felt herself sway, perhaps it was a combination of the sleeplessness that had plagued her in Seireitei, or the guilt she felt since that night over a month ago…but as her sword hit the sand with a soft thump she collapsed along with it.

~~~To be continued or not?~~~

A/N: don't own Bleach. How on earth did this get done? :o ? I may end up deleting it just to let you guys know…Not sure myself…ahem, well obviously au and um…hmm please review and tell me what you thought of it!


	2. Chapter 2

Things she didn't expect when her eyes fluttered open and shoots of pain made her groan aloud were this, _she was still alive, she was lying on some sort of bed of rags_—her Shihakusho she found out later—and when her head wasn't spinning any more as she cautiously sat up, _she was nearly naked_.

Her hands grasped at the white under kimono, bringing it up to cover her bosom, her wide violet eyes suspiciously scanned the sandy ground and crystalline trees, realizing in fact that she was still in Hueco Mundo. But not dead and in some Hollow's belly.

Why?

A shifting noise to the side brought her eyes to the Hollow, the one whom she had been fighting with before. He was small, his size perhaps in relation to an Adjucha from a textbook, yet his claws looked more like hands now that she looked at them. They stared at each other, Hollow and Shinigami for what seemed like an eternity until Rukia couldn't take it anymore.

"Why didn't you kill me?"

~~~*~~~

Her single question burned in his mind, echoing, turning over as he examined the words for their real meaning. _Why hadn't he eaten her like he'd originally planned_? The Shinigami wasn't particularly powerful; indeed he was much stronger than her. Instead he'd carried her unconscious and tended to the single bite he'd taken out of her side, leaving her slumbering and undressed in the pile of her clothes. Her eyes watched him, not with terror reflected in them only confusion.

"You weren't worthy of me."

His response stunned her, he saw. Not only the depth of his voice, smooth and baritone or the careful inflection of the words but as a whole. _She wasn't worthy of him_? The Shinigami adjusted the fabric she held to cover her body, crossing her arms over it, "I wasn't worthy of you?" she seemed to be asking herself so he didn't bother responding.

She sniffled a little, almost sounding like a giggle escaping her tightly pressed lips. He simply ignored her and continued on what he was doing. In time after she had settled down, her curious violet eyes finally took in his movements and obvious lack of success.

"You're trying to start a fire?" A raven eyebrow was cocked; then she crawled onto the sand, keeping a firm hand on the white kimono wrapped around her. She knelt beside him, her right hand over the crushed sticks in the tiny mound. Muttering something, most likely a Shinigami spell, she lit the glittering wood into a small blaze.

Forgetting for a moment what was beside her, she turned a triumphant smile to him. It faltered only the littlest bit when she recalled him for what he was. Sharply then she went back to her perch, perhaps mentally berating herself for treating him differently.

"Shinigami, there's one thing I want to ask you. Why are you here?"

She looked surprised, just as she had before at hearing him speak then inhaled deeply, "I don't understand why you want to know since you're just going to eat me later anyway. But…it's to atone. To make up for my sins, that's why I'm here."

~~~To be continued I guess~~~

A/N: hmm short but eh, well I'm still not sure about keeping this…anyhow.-) sleepy… 


	3. Chapter 3

She couldn't bear the pitying looks they gave her, the soft whispers that ceased as she entered the corridors. Only the Captain knew the truth, or thought he did; _that she hadn't saved herself_.

Someone less ashamed of their own weakness might have stayed, enduring the stain of their cowardice with a brave face. A borrowed smile for every day, that's what she could've done. Lived as the survivor with a smile to all those she met and cast a blind eye to their talk.

See that girl, well she murdered her Lieutenant! Imagine what kind of cold-blooded heart she must have…to smile when she did that!

It was just too much.

_Escaping to Hueco Mundo had seemed like the only way, sooner or later_, she figured, _she'd end up in a Hollow's belly. However_…she flinched at the screams emitted by the group of soulless creatures as Ulquiorra methodically went through them.

Blood sprayed the sand and ripped off limbs disintegrated along with it. Dazed, Rukia recalled the scene only moments before when, upon approaching a seemingly deserted patch of ground around a dark pond, this very hoard had descended, eager for a quick meal to satisfy their hunger. She had drawn Sode no Shirayuki, figuring she'd have to go it alone; _he_ had disappeared from the cave.

So her surprise was great when her first blow had gone-predictably awry-a slender beam of green light had erupted the face of the one bearing down on her. She didn't need their dismayed hisses of: _Vasto Lordes_! To know exactly who had landed behind her.

Ulquiorra.

Rukia avoided looking at him as he walked past her. Fury was evident in the tense ridge of his sharp shoulder blades, his voice was even, though the veiled anger was there, "stay back," he hissed softly. She needed no second warning. He ripped them apart with frightening speed, crushing skulls and tearing throats out. Bile rose, but she managed not to gag.

_He might just turn on her at the last second if she uttered a sound_.

"Why did you come here?" he had finished the systematic slaughter of the Hollows. She swallowed hard, allowances aside; _she'd just been saved_. _Again_. "I stink! I'm filthy…I needed a bath." She eyed him narrowly, "got a problem with that?"

He shifted slightly, glancing at her, not speaking. Leaving her to regret her impertinence for a second. Then, he made a gesture like that of a human shrug.

"Do what you wish."

She gaped at his back, striding away to the fake shade of a crystal tree. He sat down beneath it, crossing his arms over his chest. _Did he mean for her to bathe in front of him_?! Rukia sheathed her Zanpaku-to and took a few tentative steps closer to the tree. Peering closely, she saw that his eyes beneath the mask; were closed. _Was he asleep_?

Just to make sure, she passed her hand over his face, receiving no response. Rocking back on her heels, Rukia turned back and contemplated the pool of emerald water. The sand around it was mottled a sickly crimson from the blood of the interlopers. Disgusting. _But it was better than nothing_.

She skinned from her clothes, taking care to step in at the edge before removing the last layer and exposing herself for all of the Hollow world to see. Immediately, Rukia plunged in, sending ripples and light splashes to lap the white ground. The water only came chest high as she found in the center. Vigorously she began scrubbing at the brown patches of her arms and legs. Grime had set in and it would take more than this for her to ever feel clean again.

She ducked her head, resurfacing for air a moment later. Her eyes were shut and droplets trickled down her cheeks from the wet strands of hair clinging to them. Her gasp or perhaps it was his sharp senses awoke at the change in sound waves. For as she broke the surface of the pool, his eyes opened and pinpointed on her thin figure bobbing in the water.

Never had he seen such a flat, unfeminine Shinigami before. Though that in itself was demeaning for she had another quality, unusual even to the loveliest Shinigami female, simply placed: she had captured his interest. And for Ulquiorra Schiffer, that was enough to warrant his watching her for several minutes longer while she rubbed the fading reddish mark of the wound he'd given her and repeatedly covered her chilled bee-sting breasts with open palms.

~~~*~~~

Twice she swore she felt _something_ watching. A fast look around assured her as to the emptiness of the spot-besides Ulquiorra. And _he_ was asleep. Shrugging away the nervous feeling, she continued on until the worst of the ground in dirt had fallen off and she no longer carried any particular odor unless one counted the scent of rather stale water soaking her skin. However that could not be helped. Fresh water it seemed was a rarity in the desolate lands of Hueco Mundo.

Cupping a handful of the greenish liquid, Rukia held it up to her face, then, satisfied by the vague reflection she saw, let it trickle slowly through her fingers. That was enough for bathing. A chill wind she'd seen gusting the sand dunes farther away and once in a while a light, cool breeze would rustle her damp torso. Goose pimples dotted her arms and she began to tremble violently.

Catching a cold was something she would rather not experience, especially with a Hollow for a nursemaid. The last part of such thoughts gave her quite a turn so that as she exited the pool, a tiny unwilling smile turned her lips up. The cleanest part of her old clothing was the outer black kimono, so for a while she sat with it on, tied by the white sash from the hakama. A brief dipping in the decidedly scummy brown water restored the white-under to relative cleanliness, tear in the side or not.

A uniform in the state hers was in; would've been tossed out and a new one issued. _But_, Rukia thought with a twinge of remorse, _she wasn't in Soul society anymore_. Her hands smoothed out the creases in the fabric, stretching it out over a nearby boulder to dry in the moonlight. A world of a coldly shining moon overhead was her home now, not one of where the four seasons passed in a place of safety…and _memories_.

She sighed; _it did no good to lament it, not when she had come here in penance_. _No doubt, the Hollow who slept so soundly behind her, planned on turning on her when she least expected it_. Distrustful, she shot a quick glance to him, finding him in still the same unmovable position as before. _Did Hollows really sleep? Or did they just close their eyes and pretend to rest as the humans did_?

She stiffened; he twitched in his sleep. His head nodded lower, the curved horns sinking down._ Maybe he wasn't faking it. _Curiosity overpowered reason and she got close to him again. A few feet of sand remained after she had halted her steps; dropping to her knees, she inched slowly nearer. Leaning forward onto her palm, she twisted her head to peer into his face. Up close, his soft breathing brushed her cheeks and tickled the long bangs on her forehead.

Pale lids were shut over piercing orbs; his chest moved gently and fell with rhythmic breathing. Enough to satisfy her that he was thoroughly and deeply asleep. She released a breath she hadn't realized she was holding, caressing his skin and waking him. Rukia had turned her face away, leaning a little back; a hard hand wrapped around her wrist jerking her forward suddenly.

"What are you doing, Shinigami?" Ulquiorra breathed dangerously.

"N-n-nothing." She didn't like how her voice shook. Her eyes dropped down to his other hand hooked tightly around her waist; _when had he put it there_? "Release me. I didn't do anything to you," she ordered calmly. His fingers lost a little of their intense pressure, but he didn't let her go. His gaze on her was unnerving, the closeness between them was uncomfortable merely because Rukia was used to only fearing the creatures at such range. His jaw unclenched and though, she didn't wish to, she found herself staring back into his eyes, being unable to peculiarly look away.

It seemed as though something passed between them at that moment. Neither caring nor a tender emotion similar, but understanding. Blissful understanding rare for two creatures such as them:

He wouldn't eat her and she wouldn't try to run away.

It was something based solely on need. A need for a guardian was hers, what his was…she hesitated to guess. It certainly couldn't be companionship, for Hollows didn't feel loneliness. _Whatever it was_…she thought to herself, _she didn't need to know. Maybe someday he'd tell her_.

~~~*~~~

And so, the Shinigami who had run away to find solace in atonement and the Vasto Lordes whom had first spared her life, got up and left quietly together, _almost_ side-by-side.

Not knowing what the future held.

~~~To be continued I guess~~~

AN: yeah finally did this chappie. :P took me long enough…ahem. What I have planned for it should be good…I think you guys will be surprised and do I smell a love triangle in the future? *Giggles* reviews are always appreciated!


	4. Chapter 4

Her surprise wasn't great when he led her to another pool of water much perhaps on the fresher side then the one that she had been regularly bathing at. He seemed to find the smell of stale water on her distasteful…though she couldn't blame him. It was starting to bother her too.

"Are you sure…about this?" Rukia looked into the nearly translucent water, tiny pebbles glimmered dully below and as she raised her head, the view alone was startling. A vista beyond the rim of colorless rock to the far valleys and dunes illuminated by the pale moon in the sky, that was what he had brought her to. She felt more then saw his agitation, in his posture standing back, with his wings folded, his face an expressionless mask.

Soon she realized she'd been staring.

Hopefully he hadn't noticed.

"Bathe yourself." He spoke with quiet force, an order no less of that she was sure of. Throwing a glare that she didn't quite mean, Rukia waited until he had settled down near the rocky outline, a steady drowse apparent, before she began undressing. Her wound had healed leaving only a minute rounded scar on her ribcage that still carried a memory of pain along the sensitive skin. Her finger traced the outline now, then her eyes wandered over to the Hollow's still form.

He leaned a little forward onto the knee he had upraised, once more immobile and inert. Sode no Shirayuki lay within arm's reach if need be, she reassured herself. Not…that she thought he might do anything to her…it was just as a safeguard against any others who might choose to attack. With that last thought in mind, Rukia finished the unknotting of her sash and parted the sides of the kimono, letting it drop from her fingers onto the soft sand then slowly descended into the clear pool.

The water held no scent as she sniffed it carefully; cupping handfuls she dropped these onto her hair and neck. In time she became aware of a familiar sensation, a feeling of being watched. Her eyes flew open and stared straight into those of Ulquiorra. _His pose relaxed, his gaze on her_…

EEEEEEEKKKKKKKK

…_naked body_.

"Pervert!" the word had left her mouth, before she realized the sheer idiocy of it. He couldn't care otherwise whether she was undressed or clothed…right? Immediately the impulse to plunge down into the concealing water overcame her other thoughts, which she did hunker down, her eyes went wide in chagrin as she could have sworn an emotion similar to amusement flickered like a passing shadow over his face.

"Do not delude yourself into thinking me fascinated with your body," he began flatly, then, perceiving a faintly annoyed knitting of her brows together, he continued, "_unless_…" he allowed his sentence to trail off delicately getting the exact reaction he had hoped for.

_You want me to_.

"You bastard!" she exclaimed a moment later when the full implications of what he was implying startled her to momentarily forget her position and stand up. A small angry gasp left her mouth then she splashed into the pool, shaking with suppressed rage. _She couldn't bear to let him see the humiliation written in a furious blush over her pale cheeks. _

"Hmph…" he snorted softly, the sand crunching beneath his feet until his shadow fell faintly over her. Rukia felt him standing behind her and peeked over her shoulder curiously. "Hurry up," he said tonelessly, his eyes on her steady but she held some peculiar light that hadn't been present before glittering in the dark depths.

"Why?" she asked suspiciously.

"There's somewhere I want to show you…"

~~~*~~~

AN: Heh…a little short. ;P but this was all I had time for. :) I may try to update sooner…anyway reviews are appreciated.


	5. Chapter 5

_There's somewhere I want to show you…_

Where? Rukia puzzled over Ulquiorra's strange words. His whole demeanor had changed, it wasn't at all noticeable to someone that hadn't been in such close proximity to him as she, his quiet emptiness seemed the same, but there was _something_ else…

Her fingers slipped the knot in place, her hands tugged the upper closed, and her hair hung damp, the tips a little bit longer then before. "I…I'm ready," she wasn't sure why she hesitated, or for that matter just why her heart hammered harder than usual as he gracefully turned back from the privacy he'd afforded her.

She couldn't see his face or his expression as well as she would have liked to, the soft intonation so different from the way he normally addressed her, took her by surprise. "Come…" Ulquiorra held out his upturned palm, the light from above bringing into sharp relief the creases and fine form of his long fingers. Suddenly her misgivings flew away, far away on the slight stirring of a breeze that touched her cheeks.

He was almost like anybody else…

"Alright," she smiled a little, laying her hand in his. With a lightness of speed, he had her on his back between the expanse of his wings; her arms became twined loosely around his neck and her knees clutched his waist. Rukia had never been so close with the hard pressure of his bony spine against her chest, least of all…the tiniest hint of a hesitant blush that she felt burning her face at the thought that…_she actually sort of liked it_.

That…that was ridiculous! She did-didn't like it!

His body contracted with a slight strain, sinews and muscles growing taut, then they rose up off the mountaintop, in a brief moment of remembrance Rukia peered to the ground far below for her sword then realized it was held tightly in his grasp.

He had remembered it…

Her eyes fluttered shut when the first sense of weightlessness came over her. His wings beat fast along the current of air, gaining altitude. _She wasn't afraid of heights, but_…against her will, she finally looked. Her sight dazzled then by the great round orb in the sky, the moon so close but still so far. Its brilliancy undimmed even by the world it shone so coldly upon caught her breath; her eyes fell to the insignificant shapes traversing the sands never looking up to catch their twin shadows soaring higher and farther away.

_What did he have in mind?_ She wondered at times feeling them drop a little then rise higher as if he were searching for something but didn't find it. She could almost admire the perfect symmetry of their flight, feeling the brush of powerful air currents against her thighs and rushing about her neck and face…if not for the chill it brought.

She sneezed a little, frowning at the cold creeping in beneath her kimono. As if sensing her discomfort, he dropped again, slowing his pace. Rukia clung on tighter, laying her cheek on the rigid surface of his back. "…you cold?" his voice came as though from a long distance away, coming to her ears on the wavelength of the wind.

Rukia blinked, at once feeling sleepy lulled by his movements, "yes…" she hesitated realizing that was a lie. "No…" their path angled to the left and her face was bathed in cool air, her eyes closed in sensual enjoyment of the feeling, "no. It feels…wonderful."

Ulquiorra almost smiled, _why did it give him a fleeting sense of pleasure for the Shinigami to experience the same sensation of freedom that he felt soaring above the land_?

To stem the flow of this peculiar happening, he spoke almost sharply in warning, "don't fall asleep." Rukia stirred in reply resecuring her hold on him. "I…I wouldn't catch you if…if you fell," he ended in a near whisper, sounding to reassure himself as well as her that she meant nothing to him.

"I know."

He heard the quiet, sad note in her voice and thought her foolish.

"Shin—" he had started to drift lower into a cupped valley of sand, his mind was on her so that when a beam of light shot through the sky thundering toward them, it took him completely by surprise. Pain ripped into his side and he rolled in mid-air forgetting her clinging to his back. "Ugh—hey—" Rukia swung, her grip slipping and her feet dangling, her annoyance at his forgetfulness became immediately replaced with concern and bitter fear.

Doom blast…

She saw he meant to counter it.

Green light formed at his fingertip, she felt the gathering wave of reiatsu washing over her in a smothering cloud. The other glowed electric blue focused into a perfect cylinder cutting a swath through the moonlit darkness at him—them.

It was too much, too soon.

Unless.

She didn't know why she did it. Drawing breath into her lungs, letting go of the tenuous grip with both hands, she for a second held her palms out on either side of his face, "Bakudo 39 Enkosen!!" A wall of condensed reishii encircled him, the Doom blast breaking like water upon stone against the Kido.

Why had she done that?

"Shinigami…?" for a moment he felt strange like a familiar weight was missing. Slowly he looked back and then down…down to the sand and her falling.

Falling as he had warned her not to.

_Foolish woman in releasing her hold on him to fire the Shinigami spell, she had…why though_?

Why risk her life for him?

It didn't make sense.

~~~*~~~

AN: started working on it immediately after CH.4 was posted! :) Thank you, reviews are always appreciated.


	6. Chapter 6

_I was…a fool. _

_Why did I do that? _

_Hmph._

_It doesn't_…she was free falling; the air whooshed past her ears, tearing at her clothes…_matter anymore. _Her body fell straight, her legs spread open, above in the darkness something moved. Blurring in between the shadow and the sky, black wings flapping furiously, the silhouette reminded her of. _Ulquiorra_.

_But you said_. Her eyes closed against the sharpness of the wind. The touch of his reiatsu spiraled after her. Rukia winced as she collided heavily into someone's arms, the side of her face being roughly buried into his chest. His grip tightened, claws grazing her back. They tumbled violently through the air, slamming into a high dune of sand; he kept her from the worst of the collision, using his own body as a shield.

"Ulqui…orra?"

Their momentum had stopped, but he hadn't let her go.

"I-I can't breathe—uh—you're…" Rukia struggled, pushing her arms against the powdery white sand to gain leverage. "You," he said quietly; her attempts were stilled, "are a fool." His arms lifted and she hovered over him, breathing hard. The impact had jarred his mask, she saw, her hand lifted slowly, lying her palm against the fracture. Ulquiorra didn't move, didn't show any sign of displeasure as she slipped his mask off.

The bone had cracked in half, the two pieces sliding away in her hands as if desiring to reveal the face that had been hidden for so long. His skin was pale like his body; his eyes were narrow and indiscernible as he stared up at her, a line of green trailed down to his chin beneath each. A tiny trickle of red streamed from his hairline and she brushed her thumb over it, remembering something from before.

"You said…before."

His expression became unreadable.

"You wouldn't catch me if I fell. Why did you save—"

"I only paid my debt. I owe you no more." He answered flatly.

She stared at him, her confusion mounting. _Debt? For…the Kido_?

"You mean nothing to me, Shinigami."

"You don't either."

"I'm not obligated to protect you."

"I know."

"But why…why did you do it?"

That was a new one. Rukia lightly dusted off grains of sand from his cheek; her fingers tingled at the contact. "I—I'm not obligated to answer you," she smirked. Something flickered over his expression, a change of emotion, a recognizing of certain defeat. "No, you're not," he agreed tiredly. Her smirk widened into a smile, "that's the first sensible thing you've said all day."

"Don't push it."

"So what was it you wanted to show me?"

~~~*~~~

_They weren't far_, he explained, choosing to Sonido the rest of the way with her on his back. "But _what_ is it? You never told me," she whined, leaning in close to whisper into his ear teasingly. "You'll find out soon enough and please…" his surety faltered amid the craggy rocks, "…refrain from doing _that_."

"Doing what?" frowningly Rukia laid her head against his shoulder blade, her cheek against his skin. Ulquiorra grew silent, refusing to admit enjoying the feel of her gentle breathing. In time, he realized she had fallen asleep or was merely dozing proved at her knowing instinctively when they had stopped. Peering over his shoulder, she gasped, "It's so…so lovely!"

Amidst the rocky cavern and stalactite crystals, illuminating the darkness with a beauty not quite pure was a tiny field of newly blooming flowers. Ulquiorra landed near the edge allowing her to slide off. She went immediately for the closest stem, glancing back for approval, he nodded slightly. The flower of four petals colored a faint purplish hue glowed ethereally in her hand.

"La Valle de Siete Azahares," he said to her questioning look, "the valley of seven blossoms."

"Oh…I never would have believed anything so fragilely beautiful could exist here," Rukia looked over the field once more, _her child-like wonderment for the natural beauty lent an almost lovely cast to her plain features_, he thought before quickly stifling the thought.

"Not everything is blighted in this land. The Luna de Tristeza is one such thing. "

She heard the dryness in which he addressed her and assumed he had taken offense. "I didn't mean it like that," she shrugged, spinning around to face the flowers, "I was just…"

"Shinigami," he said quietly behind her.

"…surprised is all." She turned back, her head tilting up immediately to compensate for the height difference between them, the look in his eyes drove all else from her mind.

Was he…

"We'd better go." He broke eye contact, his countenance smoothing over as if she hadn't seen what she'd thought as if it hadn't been there to begin with.

"Y-yeah." She went slowly after him to the narrow opening in the cavern's mouth, her fingers tightening around the slender flower stem.

…_going to kiss me? _

~*~

AN: argh! Sleepy. ;) Thanks for reading and reviews are appreciated.

Note: Luna de Tristeza-Moon of sorrow.


	7. Chapter 7

Comfort he could not give.

Ulquiorra knew as much, his soul knew nothing about joy or hope and dreaming of the day when it were not so was foolish thinking. The Shinigami needed these things; she needed hope in her heart to keep going to face the waking nightmare that tortured her spirit. In the nights when he'd hear her cry aloud in sleep and lost dreams, he would awake and lie there, staring up at the craggy ceiling. Wondering sometimes when she would ever let it go, that source of pain that was her supposed reason for atonement.

Hadn't the Shinigami had other people besides the dead one? Oh yes, he knew it was another Shinigami, a male whom she cried out for in the darkest part of the never-changing night.

_Kaien._

Again.

_Kaien!!_

More desperately now:

_I'm sorry, Kaien!!_

Forgive me…

Her voice would end on a whisper, different, fallen and defeated, then the snappish responses she gave _him_ every day. _Who was this man, Kaien_? _Her lover_? He'd guess, then, dismiss the thought. _She was much too young_, he asserted, _to be serious about anything like that_. _Maybe a brother or a friend_…somehow this change of conjecture suited his mind and put him at ease rather than his former line of thinking. Perhaps he'd pose a few questions once she woke up…

~~*~~

"You were talking in your sleep," _he_ began without preamble, "what were you dreaming about?" Rukia glanced up at the demanding force behind the Hollow's seemingly casual question. "I don't know what you mean," she brushed back a few unruly bangs from her eyes, lowering her gaze as she did so.

"You kept mentioning a name. The name of a man…_Kaien_," Ulquiorra affirmed, blatantly ignoring her attempts to put him off the subject. "Who was he?"

She spun around fast, her heart in her throat, "it's none of your business, Hollow." Her voice was even though she couldn't keep her hands from shaking around the handle of the pitcher. Water sloshed onto her feet but she was oblivious to it. "I wonder at your dislike of it. Have you no idea that every night I've heard you cry in your sleep for this man?" he said blandly, not phrasing it as a question and instead waiting for the reaction he hoped to gain.

Her palm slapped his cheek then pulled away stinging as her soft flesh had come into contact with hard bone. His hand shot out, grabbing her wrist and twisting her forward. Her soft grunt of pain drew a confused growl from his throat. _Where had that come from_?

"L-Let me g-go," she muttered, pushing her free hand against his chest. Ulquiorra detachedly watched her struggles, knowing he had the upper hand. "No." He caught her surprised look more than a little colored by fear. His instincts at once tempered by the knowledge of that fear, reacted. Rukia slowly lifted her head, staring up into his face, into his eyes dilated with a predatorial gleam. A particular mixture of lust and hunger was reflected within the deadened pools.

"Don't be afraid…Rukia." He said below a whisper. Her body lost its rigidity, his hand slid from confining her wrist to her face. She swallowed hard, then almost defiantly met his gaze, "I won't be." His arms slipped over her back, holding her loosely. She tried to not like it, not to gain a semblance of warmth from being _hugged_ by a Hollow. Her mind tried to convince her that he could turn on her any second, tear her to pieces without even feeling a single pang of remorse. She knew all that already. But somehow…

~~~*~~~

Ulquiorra felt the steady beat of her heart against his ribcage, the scent of her being filling his nostrils. She had grown quiet after giving her answer and he was glad of it. He lived in silence, in the quiet, in the deepest stillness of the night. To ask, to use her voice to break the sense surrounding them, he wouldn't have forgiven her for it.

Part of him was strangely triumphant as she leaned in, accepting his embrace; another part needled his mind with craven images of bloodlust, tearing the flimsy covering of clothing from her body, straddling her small hips, listening to her throat aching screams while he pounded her. She wouldn't submit while she still had breath; he knew her pride wouldn't let her give in even when her body betrayed her. It would be interesting to see how long she could hold out before she shattered completely.

He sensed her grip relaxing and let go.

He saw it in her eyes, trust now and hope.

Had he given her hope?

It seemed almost preposterous that he could. But…

"T-Thanks, Ulquiorra."

"For what?" he was confused. Rukia had turned away but glanced back, "I can't say."

~*~

_How could she thank him when she didn't even know herself what he had done? That didn't make sense. _

It was strange though to see her walk away, he realized something…

He had never wanted something more nor longed to care for someone again until that moment.

~~~*~~~

AN: Thanks for reading and reviews are appreciated.

~Tease for the next chapter~

"Why did you have to leave me? Ulquiorra!"

~*~


	8. Chapter 8

Rukia stumbled against the inner wall of the cavern, grazing her knees on the glistening stone. Her sight, blurry fell over the field of Luna de Tristeza; the soft four petals luminescence calmed her mind taking the bitter wounded edge from her thoughts.

_He was gone she was sure of it_.

She took a few tottering steps forward, collapsing at the edge of the flowers, tears coursed down her cheeks. Angrily she wiped them away; _he didn't deserve tears shed over him_. Her grimy hand curved around the fragile stems shooting up from the barren rock, fingers clenching closed suddenly with a spasm of anger.

"Why did you have to leave me? Ulquiorra!"

~*~

Days and hours were of no consequence in Hueco Mundo. He came and went as he pleased in rare intervals of hunts to satisfy his hunger. Sometimes she'd awake and find him gone. The first time it happened and despite her refusal to worry for him, Rukia had found herself pacing restlessly, unable to sit still until the very moment when she sighted his winged figure landing outside the cave's mouth.

He had been covered in blood though none of it his own. Her suspicion that he'd raided a group of Shinigami growing. When she had asked finally, unable to take the suspense, irritatingly he hadn't answered. Only walked away. Her annoyance grew.

"Why won't you answer me?"

Ulquiorra halted, speaking so quietly that she had to strain her hearing just to hear his softly spoken words, "it doesn't concern you, Shinigami." She huffed furiously, crossing her arms and speeding up her pace to block his way. "Doesn't concern me, eh? Well then would you mind telling me just whose blood it is that you're covered in?"

"Move."

They had both come to a standstill, several yards from the cave. In the white world, against his pale skin and white mask, any color above that seemed a travesty in the jet-black of his hair and fiery green eyes.

"No. Not until you tell me where you're going."

"You don't need to know."

"And what if I want to go with you?"

"You can't come with me."

"Why not?"

"Stop asking questions, it gets bothersome after a while."

Rukia's eyebrows rose, "who asked your opinion if it bothered you or not? Besides that, you aren't the boss of me, _Hollow_." It was unwilling but it was there, a tiny quirk of amusement at her superior tone. "If I take you, do you promise to never question me again?"

She frowned, "well I wouldn't say never…but…_okay_," grudgingly she muttered. Ulquiorra looked away then sighed slightly, "That's enough." He bent a little, allowing her to clamber onto his back much as the distaste of touching his blood-spattered body didn't appeal to her; she had no choice. It had been her stubbornness that had brought her to that point.

~*~

Their flight was brief, unlike the careful measured pace of before; his tread of the air currents was uneven, agitated. Rukia clung on tightly, her tenuous grip faltering when they began spiraling toward the earth; her senses picked up on four medium to low-level spirit pressures just beyond the rocky outcropping he landed behind.

"Ulquiorra?" her gaze passed over his stiff, tension filled body. His hand touched her shoulder awkwardly in a semblance of reassurance. "Whatever you hear beyond this point, do not come out. Do not show yourself do not speak until I come back. Understand?" He was looking at her, not looking to the side, but staring straight into her eyes, waiting for her ascent.

_Was he planning on fighting those other Hollows? What was so mysterious about that? It happened all the time_. Rukia thought with a hesitant tiny smile of chagrin recalling other previous _incidents_. Slowly she nodded and he stepped away, glancing back once as if making sure she kept her promise.

The moment he was out of sight, she crept forward.

_Like hell if he was going to tell her what she could or could not do_.

Carefully she placed her palm along the edge of the white rock, peering around it to see the circle of Hollows ringing Ulquiorra. She felt her heart clench in fear for him.

"What say you make it easy on yourself and come with us? A smart fellow such as you should know a good offer when he sees one. Hmm, boy?" The one whom spoke resembled a great centipede standing on two legs, the long feelers were bone and twitched faintly at the plaintive response he gave, "no."

"You see, boy. That reply was not in our repertoire. Either you come with us willingly or unwillingly. There is no middle—"

Ulquiorra's Cero split the centipede's body in half.

"Capture him! Don't let him—" another erupted from the beam of green light. Rukia flinched, biting down on her lip to keep from exclaiming a warning as spikes from the back of a shorter Adjucha shot out from behind. He managed to dodge most only the graze of one in his thigh slowed his Sonido.

_I won't interfere. _

_I can't_.

_What is pride when it is life at stake_?

He was being pushed back against the face of the rock wall, the remaining Hollows attacking with a fierceness that belied their desire to win at any cost.

_This is ridiculous…pride is meaningless. I won't—I will not lose anyone again!_

Rukia wrapped her hands around the hilt of her Zanpaku-to drawing it out in one swift motion, her wrist twisted it in a clockwise circle, "Dance, Sode no Shirayuki!" Her reiatsu flared, still minuscule in size to those on the other side, white like the night that surrounded her, bled along the tang and spread up the guard and hilt. The long ribbon attached the end flowed gracefully forming the circle of the white moon's dance beneath her targets feet.

_Kaien…I'm sorry_. _Now I have something I want to protect even if I don't deserve my life._

The Hollows felt the chill spreading upward along their clawed feet, in unison they leapt apart to either side, abandoning Ulquiorra for the time being and focusing their attention on her. "Well, well a little Shinigami. Color me impressed could it be the boy has a little _pet_?"

"How about color you frozen? Will that shut your mouth?" she asked, smirking at their rage.

"You'll re—"

"Dance number two, Hakuren."

A wave of frigid air flowed around them solidifying them into perfect statues. Ulquiorra wouldn't look at her.

"Well aren't you going to thank me?"

His slight headshake aggravated her. "Hmph! And there I was all worried that you were doing something stupid and dangerous and all you were—"

"Would it please you if I did?"

She sniffed haughtily, sheathing her sword neatly, "of course not! I can't force you to do something that you don't want to do. It's okay, even a little gratitude is fine." _But is gratitude too much to ask of a Hollow_? She thought she heard a soft snort as he brushed past her onto the plateau.

"You expect me to thank you for disobeying me?"

"Hey, cut me some slack! I _saved_ you." Rukia gestured angrily at his back. He half-turned his face toward her so that she glimpsed the side of his profile, "I suppose I _owe_ you _again_?"

_Owe me? Like before…? _

"N-N-No! I didn't mean it like that!" She trotted after him, swinging up onto his back easily, her arms sliding around his neck. "Then what do you _mean_?" his voice was soft, deep, rumbling sensually from his throat. Rukia felt her mouth go dry suddenly, "n-n-nothing of the sort!"

"That doesn't make sense. Could you please clarify?"

"Just drop it!"

He chuckled, "as you wish."

~*~

High above watching them from a distance were two others.

"That him?" asked the first.

"Yeah. What a pain that idiot is causing us," whined the second, running his fingers through raffish dark brown hair, "it'd be easier on everybody for him to have come along quietly when we first approached him. But oh no, he just had to put up a fight-get away-go running back to check on that little…is that a Shinigami on his back?"

"Of course, you fool," said the blond woman tiredly, "can't you tell?"

"Hey, watch your manners, Tercera." Renewed interest crept into the tall Arrancar's tone, "well now…we might just be able to use her to our advantage. Since it seems that little Kyorra-kun may have developed a certain fondness for her."

"_Fondness_? What are you planning, Stark?"

"Go on back to Las Noches, Hali…I can take care of things here."

The woman glared but acquiesced, _wondering all the while what La Primera had planned_.

~*~

"My…your senses are excellent."

Ulquiorra withdrew his palm from the Arrancar male's face, "what are you doing here?" The Arrancar had appeared right in the entrance to the cave, his spirit pressure almost completely suppressed. In the next room, Rukia slept.

"I just came for a little chat. Figured you might welcome the company of someone the same as you—the Shinigami aren't much good conversationalists unfortunately. By the way—"gray eyes alight, he peered teasingly over Ulquiorra's shoulder, "—where is the little dear anyhow? I so longed to meet her—"

"You will not take one step closer to her."

"Oh…that sounded _almost_ threatening, Kyorra-kun. Almost like you were protecting her or something."

Green eyes narrowed into hard slits, "I don't know what you're implying, _Stark_." The Arrancar shrugged, "what can I say? It's odd enough that one of our kind is keeping a Shinigami—let alone you—and hasn't eaten _it _yet."

"Whatever I do is my business. It doesn't concern you in the slightest."

"Oh but it does. You see…" Stark leaned in conspiratorially, "…my Lord wants me to bring you to meet him. He won't leave me alone unless I do it—so be a good boy and come with me. Please?"

"No."

A lazy smile and a wink flashed Ulquiorra's way, "now really, Ulquiorra. Must we bandy words about like this? Just come."

"My answer is no…and will always be such."

"Is it possibly…'cause of_ her_?"

It was almost imperceptible but his jaw tightened.

Stark nodded, "thought as much. Do you think as you are the Shinigami can accept you? I know what it is that you want—it's as plain as day—"

"You can't possibly know. What she is to me is nothing—she means nothing."

"Hmm…if she doesn't mean anything to you then I suppose I can do…_this_!" A black wave of energy formed at his fingertips, rounding into a ball of ambient reishii. Stark rolled it along his palm, pulling his arm back to toss it casually at the wall: _a Balas blast_. Ulquiorra hesitated; in his mind only one choice presented itself.

"Wait," he caught Stark's wrist, the slow lazy smile spread over his face, sensing surrender imminent.

"Leave her be. Take me Las Noches."

"Hah. Good boy. Knew you'd see the light."

~*~

It was strange staring down at her sleeping form, her face serene, untroubled from the nightmares that had haunted her previously. Knowing as he knew it would be so, _they would never see one another again._

_I'm sorry, _were the words that came to mind, however as he felt Stark's curious eyes boring into his back from the outer room, Ulquiorra turned away. Goodbyes were for humans to soothe their weak hearts. He had no such use for that.

~*~

It was different waking up in the white cave. _Alone_ was the thought that came to her mind, _lonely_. Almost as if someone or some thing was missing, gone, left. The wall she touched contained a faint trace of an unfamiliar reiatsu mingled in with his like a tantalizing trail to the cave's mouth and out into the desert.

_He had left again._

_Idiot…didn't he know how much she worried about him? _

_Wait. Not worry—I am not worried about him!_

Fuming and determined to give him a piece of her mind, Rukia set off, following the remnants of their spirit pressures for a long while. Not thinking, refusing to give in to the inevitable that her thoughts surmised. _Dead. Gone. Dying. No_. _I have to find him. But…no I don't care…I can't really…no…I_…it was a litany she repeated to herself, cresting finally the last dune of grainy sand, a slender footpath meandering into the rocky cavern buried deep within the earth.

_It was familiar._

"Ulquiorra!"

Again. "Ulquiorra! Answer me, damn you!"

She clenched her fists, hesitating before approaching the entrance. Nothing. The trail ended a stone's throw to the left, vanishing near the bare rock wall. Rukia walked to the slick stone, glistening with watery crystals, bending slightly, her fingers pinched up something black from the ground; _a feather_.

_How quaint._

It crumbled in her palm.

_He was gone. Really and truly…gone. _

~* Refer to the top paragraph for the ending to this chapter *~

9-14-09

AN: poor Rukia. .-) Next chapter she meets Ichigo. Though Ulqui wasn't really all to blame…he left to protect her that's why he purposely left the trail to the Valle de Siete Azahares. There, he figured she'd be safe…it also made her think of him more. As the story progresses, she'll remember that night in CH. 6 with fondness or bitterness? Either or possibly both… ;) Thanks for reading and reviews are always appreciated.

9-16-09

Last update for a while. I am so damn mad right now… o


	9. Chapter 9

~Las Noches~

"My Lord," Stark bowed once, ushering Ulquiorra in with a narrowed glance from smirking gray eyes. "Enter," the voice was smooth, male as expected. But the man that awaited; turning once the door had closed with a soft click from Stark's hand…

_A Shinigami_?

The man wore black robes. Folded neatly over the back of a chair near the window was a white long-sleeved garment, the Japanese character for five was embroidered onto it. The man took one long look at Ulquiorra then nodded, smiling friendly. "I've waited a long time for this moment. I hear you gave Stark quite the runaround as well as others sent to retrieve you."

He stayed silent, immobile near the door.

"I was even more surprised at Halibel's report. You were…" the man paused, his eyes upturned thoughtfully to the high ceiling as if searching for the proper words. "Accompanied by a female Shinigami, were you not?"

_Rukia._

"Yes." He answered quietly.

The man looked around seeming to expect another to materialize, "why is she not here?"

"I…" he hadn't been exactly told _not_ to bring her along so the sentence forming on his lips was an untruth yet Stark hadn't either said _she could have come with them_. "You could have brought her," the man said peering at him through round glasses. He was unable to match the stare.

"If it would have set your mind at ease…"

Ulquiorra knew the man had read him. "I did not believe the Arrancars of yours would not eat her if given the chance." The Shinigami's expression took on a surprised cast, "if ordered not to, they will obey. I have only to give the word and that girl of yours would be safe. _Here_."

He was being manipulated. Used. Twisted because of _her_.

"What do you want?" There was something he would have to give in exchange.

The man spread his hands as if to encompass the air, "you. Become a part of my army and you can keep your Shinigami."

Giving in was as simple as the sentence spoken, his desire to reach the cavern where he knew she would be, already occupying his thoughts heavily. "I will leave immediately and bring her here…_my Lord._"

The man known by all of Seireitei as Taichou of the fifth Division; merely smiled knowing he had won.

~La Valle de siete azahares to Karakura town~

In her hand, she stared down at the slender flower held tightly by the pale green stalk. The crushed petals still glowed with a luminescent light, her eyes turned upward to the dimensional rip torn by the blade of her sword; _a trick he had taught her_. The night sky of the living world glittered with a thousand stars, the darkness beckoning so unlike Hueco Mundo's perpetual sense of isolation.

Briefly Rukia considered opening her palm and letting the ever bloom drop. Her fingers even went so far as to relax, feeling the smooth stalk began to slide then she stopped. Lifting it back to the fold of her Yukata she slipped it inside; _not everything was blighted in this world_.

She took a step and then another and then finally crossed between the worlds. Reishii solidified beneath her feet allowing her to stand for a moment above the town she had entered, her eyes taking in the sight of the quiet rooftops and snug windows behind which the multitudes of humans slept. Rukia drew in a deep breath of fresh air, the portal behind her sealing soundlessly.

Distantly on the other side of the town she picked up the swift moving reiatsu of a large Hollow. Her brows knitted; she hadn't expected to encounter one of them so soon. This might ruin her plan of laying low for a while. But it…it ignored her. She was sure it had sensed her by now so why—?

~Hueco Mundo~

It was faint but he still picked it up: _a remnant of her scent_. Her reiatsu was too small to have left any trace, disappointedly Ulquiorra turned back from the cavern of the Lunas. Stark waited a few feet from the entrance, "find her?"

He considered the Arrancar's bored expression, saying simply, "no."

"So we can head back—" Stark sounded hopeful, thinking of his pillow with longing.

"She has fled to the world of the living."

~Karakura town~

"What is that fool doing?" Rukia watched from above while in the street below the Hollow she had sensed, charged with its fangs bared at the tall slender figure of a human boy. His face averted in shadow made his features unclear to her curious eyes, only the unnaturally bright shock of orange hair stood out in the darkness.

"I'll eat your soul!!!" the Hollow screamed, lunging fiercely with a long arm; Rukia moved then. Her sword flashed once downward, the severed appendage cleaving cleanly from the huge shoulder thudded heavily to the ground. "Stay back," she warned over her shoulder to the stunned human.

"You—SHINIGAMI!!!!" enraged the air swirled with the flux of the creature's hate. Calmly Rukia looked it over with an expression of disgust, "just shut up already." She twisted narrowly to the side avoiding its strike; her feet left the ground as she somersaulted through the air, aiming for the back of its large mask. A single stroke and it was over.

She landed where it had stood, the whole of the Hollow's being dissolving into a spiral of spirit particles. The human boy openly gaped at her, "who—who in the heck are you?!" Neatly she sheathed her sword, her head raising just the smallest fraction, her eyes finally in the dim light of the moon above taking in the breadth of his face.

"K—Kaien?"

~*~

"Could you possibly not reveal our location to Soul society?"

Stark had suppressed his reiatsu, immense though it was; Ulquiorra recognized the same trick from before in the cave. Unrepentant he turned swiftly in the sky above the town, following the trace of her reiatsu. His green eyes closed briefly, his mind touching on the opposite reiatsu flaring near her; _another Hollow_.

"H-Hey! You can't just—"

He left his unwilling companion behind, racing across the moonlit night. A peculiar sense of palpitating worry stirred in his breast. In the wind that grazed his mask, he knew she had chosen to fight. _The fool…she lacked the strength to defeat it. He had to hurry_.

On the rooftop, his eyes were drawn to the multitude of spirit particles flowing up from the street below. He turned his gaze downward then, seeing her first, with her hand on her scabbard and the other sliding her sword in. _He felt a rush of pride. She hadn't needed him_.

But there was another with her…

He heard the rough wheeze from Stark's lungs as the Arrancar landed beside him. Ulquiorra heard her voice as it carried up to him, her focus entirely consumed by the human's face. Burning rage boiled up in his chest, his animalistic side—the dominant side wiping all else from his mind but the memory of that name falling from her lips in nightmarish sleep. He wanted her to say _his_ name that way.

"K-Kaien?"

~~~Preview of next CH. 10~~~

Vaguely Ulquiorra felt the pressure of Stark leaning in close, whispering softly, "take her now."

"No." he said just as softly.

The Arrancar looked confused, "but didn't you—"

"No—let's go." He turned away forcefully from the sickening scene. The ache to rip out the boy's throat nearly overwhelming his meager control. "Well…if you say so," Stark muttered, following him through the portal back to Hueco Mundo.

_Someday_. Ulquiorra thought. _It would be __his__ name only on her lips and only __him__ in her nightmares_.

~*~

AN: Ulqui's definitely getting possessive now and he hasn't even learned Ichi's name yet! Yes, it is somewhat different then the start of the manga/anime. But remember it is slightly au after all ;) anyway thanks for reading and reviews-not-flames are appreciated. :)


	10. Chapter 10

"Kaien?" she repeated, taking a step and then another toward the boy. He backed up at her approach, still staring with wide eyes. "I—I don't know who you're talking about! S-Stay away!" Rukia frowned; _she certainly hadn't expected this_. _Could it…not be him_?

Her legs wobbled with the weight of emotion filling her being. "Whoa!" whatever qualms the boy had about her disappeared as he ran forward and caught her as she fell. "Hey…" he said, lowering her to the ground gently; she stared up into his warm honey-colored eyes filled with concern. _Kaien's were blue_.

"Are you okay?"

She blacked out.

~*~

Vaguely Ulquiorra felt the pressure of Stark leaning in close, whispering softly, "take her now."

"No." he said just as softly.

The Arrancar looked confused, "but didn't you—"

"No—let's go." He turned away forcefully from the sickening scene. The ache to rip out the boy's throat nearly overwhelming his meager control. "Well…if you say so," Stark muttered, following him through the portal back to Hueco Mundo.

_Someday_. Ulquiorra thought. _It would be __his__ name only on her lips and only __him__ in her nightmares_.

~*~

Rukia awoke lying on a bed. The room was in semi-darkness with the sky lightening outside heralding dawn not far off. She pressed her hand shaking to her temples recalling the fight with the Hollow and the boy…_Kaien_. But he wasn't. He didn't remember her and if he didn't remember her then that meant he—

"You're awake finally."

She started. The boy walked across the room toward her, a scowl on his face.

"Who—who are you?" she felt inclined to ask, her eyes running over the familiar features that were more youthful. He ran his hand through his hair, thoughtfully gazing back, "I could ask you the same question. First you come out of nowhere and slice that monster—"

"Hollow." She interrupted.

"A _what_?"

"It was a Hollow. A malevolent lost soul," she clarified after he looked mystified.

"Er well. Whatever it was. You sliced it to bits and then see me and call me by this weird name and after that—pass out cold! What am I supposed to think? Then my dad and my sisters…can't see you!" he paused to take in breath after his rant and discovered she had her back to him and was staring out the window. "You…" he muttered.

"Of course they can't." she glanced over her shoulder at him, "if they can't see normal spirits then they wouldn't be able to see _me_."

"So what? You're saying that you're—_dead_?"

"Precisely."

An eyebrow rose, "I don't believe you." He said flatly.

Rukia sighed; _this guy was an idiot_.

~Las Noches~

"Ah…so you couldn't find her?"

Ulquiorra knew the sympathetic tone adopted by the Shinigami before him false. Aizen observed him narrowly, "are you perhaps still concerned over her?" _That he couldn't deny. He began to regret his decision made in jealousy_. _It was an emotion…wasn't it_?

He felt something, remembering her face and her eyes and her voice.

_She made him feel something deep inside, lying there together on the hard ground, standing in the field of Lunas, carrying her on his back across the bleak sky_. Ulquiorra couldn't describe it. Aizen was still watching him. "You want her." The Taichou of fifth Division said softly speaking as a fact rather than as a question. Ulquiorra nodded.

"You shall have her then. But I must know…what is her name?"

"Rukia Kuchiki."

~Soul society~

Aizen knew the name. A slip of an orphan girl adopted by the illustrious head of the Noble Kuchiki clan. She had been involved in the death of Thirteenth's Fukutaichou, an incident in which shortly thereafter the girl had up and disappeared. She had seemed weak from all that he discreetly asked around but from one source he was surprised to learn that her brother had been responsible for having her name dropped from a list of eligible candidates for seated positions.

_Interesting. So perhaps she wasn't as weak as they thought. For her to survive in the world of Hueco Mundo so long and sensing the worry for her presence that had been instilled in the emptiness of the Vasto Lordes_…

"Sir…"

Aizen looked up from his desk to the figure kneeling in the doorway. "Speak."

"We have ascertained the location of Kuchiki Rukia."

Excellent. He kept his expression smooth, "report your findings to Ukitake and Kuchiki-Taichou." He knotted his fingers under his chin, smiling secretively as the Ritei-Tai Agent bowed and vanished to carry out his orders. All the pieces were falling in. Locating her was one step now allowing them to retrieve her…

He thought of Ulquiorra in Las Noches and his expression became pensive.

To think this girl had made a Hollow—feel was too expressive—it was difficult discerning how and what the Vasto Lordes—_soon Arrancar_, felt about her. But how had she done it? What was her secret? He knew he had to arrange to meet her privately when she was brought back. It would be most fascinating to see how her mind worked and especially once she was told of Ulquiorra's place…

~To be continued~

AN: Someone had commented last time about the sentence: _It would be __his__ name only on her lips and only __him__ in her nightmares_. To Ulquiorra hearing her calling out for Kaien in her nightmares seemed to him the way for her to remember him—or as he refused to believe—love. Which is most certainly not the case. Thanks for reading and reviews are appreciated. :)


	11. Chapter 11

_Ichigo Kurosaki, that was the boy's name. _

The alarm clock read the time as half past eleven in the morning, he had left her several hours before for school telling her she was under no circumstance to go downstairs. _As if she was going to listen to him! That put her in mind of another_…Rukia drew her knees up to her chest, withdrawing from inside the Yukata the ever bloom.

The Luna of four petals lay in her palm as ethereally beautiful as the night it had been picked. _Ulquiorra_…she brushed it against her cheek, the touch of the petals feather-light. _How many days had passed by since that time? Was it just a week? A month? How had near contentment slipped by her again…was this just her punishment_? _But no_, _Kaien wasn't to blame for Ulquiorra. It had been his choice from the very start_.

_The bastard! If only he were here right now…she would give him a piece of her mind!_

Rukia clenched her fists in silent fury then slowly breathed in, releasing the death-grip she had maintained on the fragile flower. _It wasn't anyone's fault but his own…only his_. Glancing once more at the faintly purplish tinged bloom she replaced it where it had lain before, making a decision then. _She would go and find that boy…maybe getting out and about would erase __him__ from her mind._

~Las Noches~

He screamed as his mask was torn off, ripped away in one vicious movement.

_Rukia_. Think of her. _Remember the Lunas_.

He was on his knees; the white mask of bone began to reform along his jaw line and along the crown of his hair. The Shinigami called Tosen scowled. More was needed. Rough fingers grasped the edge near his chin; he strove not to cry out as Aizen passed by the open doorway. Watching. Perhaps he had news of her.

_The sooner this was over_…

He felt it come apart. Break in the center and split upward in a fine hairline crack. The shards melted away in a dusting of particles. The weight was gone. His skin unused to the density of the air grew cold; he raised his hand and brushed it along the smooth expanse of his face. His fingers encountered the ridge of bone still curling like half a helmet and ending in a single horn atop his head. It was done. He looked up and glimpsed Aizen's nod.

He had become an Arrancar.

~Living world Karakura town~

She wandered up and down the unfamiliar streets glancing furtively about, unseen in the hordes of people walking the sidewalks. The sense of anonymity was great and she reveled in it, never liking to stand out in a crowd. Her adoption into the Kuchiki clan had placed her thus in the spotlight when attending the Academy. It had been most unwelcome attention. With a pang of conscience she realized she hadn't thought about her _brother_ in years.

The cold, distant recently appointed Taichou of sixth Division, Byakuya Kuchiki. _How was he_? She wondered. _How were Ukitake-Taichou and Kotetsu and Kotsubaki-san_? She wondered if another had ever filled Kaien's seat and what they were like. And—

"Oi!"

Startled she looked up into the familiar face of the boy.

"What're you doing here?" they were on a less populated stretch so he did little to lower his voice. Over one shoulder his book bag dangled, clearly school had been let out for the day.

"I thought I told you—"

"I'm sorry but I was bored," she said unrepentantly enjoying the flash of annoyance pass over his face. His eyebrow rose and his jaw worked as his mind tried to come up with a fast comeback. "What if—what if someone had seen you?" he finally managed to get out, "then what would you have done then, huh?"

"Fool." Rukia flipped her hand through her hair, rolling her eyes piteously in his direction, "why bother when no one—"

Suddenly a screech of metal and tires squealing interrupted. He flew past her, running up to the intersection lights where an orange-haired girl knelt at the sidewalk's edge brushing dirt from her long skirt. _Who was this_? Rukia noted with irritation his worried look and exclamation. "Inoue! What happened? Are you alright?"

The girl looked up and registered his presence, jumping back with her hands thrown up defensively before her. "Kurosaki-kun!" she squeaked, "Ah you startled me!" Then much to Rukia's surprise she felt herself being surveyed by a pair of curious gray eyes. "Kurosaki-kun…who's this?"

Their reactions were simultaneous.

"YOU CAN SEE ME?!!"

"YOU CAN SEE HER?!!!"

Then she glared at him, "shut up! I asked first!"

"Oh yeah? Well Inoue's my classmate—"

"So what!"

"Shut up, midget!"

"You shut up, carrot top!"

"WHAT'D YOU CALL ME?!!!"

"You heard me, fool." Rukia sniffed haughtily, rewarded by the look of absolute fury that crossed his expression. _She discovered she liked pushing his buttons_. Throughout their exchange his classmate had stood off to the side, giggling a little self-consciously as though embarrassed to be witnessing such a scene. Rukia gave her another look over, her eyes alighting on the reddened marks made as if from claws marring the length of skin from the girl's knee to her sandals.

That almost looked like…

"So anyway…" Ichigo turned back to the girl, after glaring at Rukia for a moment, "are you sure you're okay?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" Inoue giggled, she held the plastic bag of packaged items up for inspection; "I just stopped at the store to pick up something for dinner!"

"Er…well if you say you are then…" he scratched the side of his head, "I guess see you later."

They parted ways. Rukia watched the girl's back and then asked in quiet, thoughtful tones, "who was _that_ exactly?"

"Orihime Inoue. Like I said, a classmate of mine."

"Oh…" they started walking again, "those marks on her legs, did you notice them?"

"Huh?"

"A set of claw marks almost as if something had grabbed her…"

~Las Noches~

Ulquiorra stared in the mirror. The track of the zipper came to his waist and was open exposing his chest. A large four gleamed on one side and above that his Hollow hole beckoned emptiness of heart._ How would she react if she could see him now_? He was sure she would know his face after seeing before what lay below the surface of his mask.

He touched a finger to the green trails beneath each eye. Five fingers on each hand now, no claws to harm when a touch was made out of gentleness. _Aizen knew where she was, the living world. Staying in the dwelling of that human boy she had called Kaien_. Ulquiorra observed his reflection as a whole in the oval frame; saw the tautness of his jaw and slight furrow in his brow. A singular thread of worry laced itself through his thoughts; _what if she forgot about him_? _But that was absurd…she wouldn't forget him so easily_. _Not after everything they had gone through together_.

_It was his fault she wasn't here now_.

Affixing his uniform with cursory but absentminded neatness, Ulquiorra slipped the scabbard of his Zanpaku-to through his sash the last effect before he reentered the meeting room as the Cuatro Espada.

_Soon_.

His expression changed and one of apathetic disinterest replaced that of anxious worry.

_Soon she would be at his side again_.

~ Living world Karakura town, Kurosaki clinic~

Rukia watched from the bed as he did his homework. Frowning in concentrated study as he attempted to solve a difficult problem. "Need any help? You could just ask, you know." She commented aloud, crossing her arms over her chest. "Help with what? How to do crappy drawings?" Ichigo ducked the pillow she had tossed.

Affronted that he had dared criticize her masterpieces, Rukia shuffled the pile she had created within the last half hour, smiling down at them. _This was one was particularly magnificent_… she sorted out one of a barren rocky landscape and a flower of four petals blooming under the light of a crescent moon.

"That one's…not bad." Ichigo had abandoned his work, swiveling in his chair to lean closer and look at the paper in her hand. "May I see?"

Her cheeks colored slightly at the hint of praise but she held it to her chest smirking, "I thought you said they were crappy."

He had the grace to look slightly abashed, "well maybe," he rescinded; "not all are." Rukia huffed but let it go. Ichigo looked at it carefully, his brow furrowing and then smoothing out, his usual scowl relaxing, "it's simple but nice. The colors are interesting." He handed it back to her across the space between the desk and the bed, "by the way…where did you get the inspiration for it? I've never seen a flower that looked like that."

Rukia was about to answer when a sudden shriek exploded above them. "What the hell?!" they both stared at the ceiling as a long arm covered in red scales swiped low upon the bed. She rolled off, hitting the floor; Ichigo shoved back out of the confined space of the desk, still staring in wide-eyed horror as the rest of the masked creature materialized through the wall.

"Hollow!" Rukia dove for Sode no Shirayuki lying at the edge of the bed. Her fingers had connected with the hilt when the creature lunged for her. She felt a stinging sensation bite into her shoulder but gritted her teeth securing her grip on the sword. She pulled it to her, tossing the scabbard aside. Her blade flashed through the skin of the arm and she leapt upward, bringing it in a wide arc over her head. The edge clove a line through the mask and the creature screamed enraged.

"Too shallow!" she cried, narrowly avoiding a hit that would have sent her flying. _Dammit. Focus_! She saw Ichigo on the floor against the closet; saw his frustration and worry knowing there was nothing he could do to aid her and was aggravated by it. Briefly their eyes met and she was forced to look away; _I'll protect us both_. _Just stay there_. She kicked off the wall, timing her strike for when the Hollow turned. Her bare blade seared across the face from ear to ear. A great cracking sound was heard and the bone mask split in two. The face was of a human, a young man with terrified eyes and dark hair hanging to his jaw line.

He screamed, his massive body twisting up into the ceiling.

Rukia landed neatly on the crushed bed, her head turned up to regard the damaged plaster. "That…that was…" she heard Ichigo begin to say. She glanced at him, "what?"

"That looked like Inoue's dead brother."

~To be continued~

AN: Thanks for reading and reviews are always appreciated. :)


	12. Chapter 12

"She has been…found? Alive?" carefully asked the tall, handsome man of aristocratic mien behind the desk of Sixth Division. The messenger had born the news to Ukitake-Taichou of Thirteenth and couldn't help but compare the reactions of the frail Taichou to the frozen mask of the younger before him.

"Yes."

Byakuya Kuchiki sighed and rested his chin in his hands in a contemplative gesture. Imminent retrieval was called for yet he hesitated on sending for Abarai Fukutaichou. In a swift movement he had stood, imperiously staring down at the Ritei-Tai agent. "I will go myself. That will be all." He dismissed curtly.

The agent bowed but spoke again, "with all due respect, sir, Ukitake-Taichou thought you might choose such a course and has requested to be allowed to accompany you."

"Fine. We leave within the hour."

~Karakura town~

_Sora Inoue_.

She slowed her running so that they stayed in pace, going up the darkened streets. Without glancing once to his face, she could sense his worry.

_Died. Leaving his younger sister whom he had raised, alone. If that didn't create a lost soul_…Rukia glimpsed the moon peeking out between the buildings, the bone whiteness of it made her think of another moon high over colorless sand. _Ulquiorra…how had he died_? _Alone? Scared_? Her brow furrowed, she didn't what to think of that now.

"What's wrong?"

"Huh?"

Keeping his stride even, Ichigo shot her a look; "you've been scowling something fierce for a while already. Just tell me what's going on." he ended on a slightly, higher more demanding note and she had to crack a slight smile.

"It's nothing…just…" she couldn't think of a way to explain Ulquiorra. _They weren't lovers. He wasn't exactly someone from her past_…

"There was someone who—who I was very close to," the words hovered in the air, falling hesitantly from her lips. Rukia frowned; Ichigo listened. "We…he saved me numerous times and I…I…was happy being with him." Her voice ended on a near whisper.

"And?" he caught her pained look, "what happened?" he finished more gently. Rukia sighed sadly, "It's complicated. He…he left me!"

"What do you mean? He dumped you?"

Ichigo didn't understand at all.

"Nothing." She turned away, "it was only platonic anyway."

He didn't hear her, "up ahead! That's where she lives!"

~Las Noches Palace~

"How're you holding up?"

Ulquiorra kept silent. Unperturbed nor realizing his presence wasn't welcome in the Cuatro's midnight sojourn, followed relatively closely was Stark. Hands in pockets, he mimicked the other's easy stroll and soon couldn't resist another verbal jibe, "the fourth, eh? Still an enviable position, not too far from myself but not yet quite enough to have _everything_ you want—"

"Must you insist upon making comparisons between yourself and me?" he asked coldly.

"That's all there is to do around here anyway." Stark shrugged, "so why not?" his gray eyes narrowing in mirth flickered to Ulquiorra's impassive face, "say, you think that Shinigami girl is in love with that—"

Seconds later, a Balas had created a large crater where Stark's head had been. Ulquiorra withdrew his fist from the wall, turning to favor La Primera with a long look full of meaning. "Never speak of her in my presence again." He strode off.

Stark watched him go; smiling faintly at his comrade's rigid back.

_The fool. Try as he might…it was only too clear the truth of what he so denied lurking just beneath the surface…unrequited love...how sweet_.

~*~

_In love with that boy?_

He knew that was what Stark had intimated.

_Trash_. _Beneath her…oh so very beneath her_.

Ulquiorra reached his room and entered the dull monotone of white and black. In his mind's eye, she waited for him, perhaps with a smile or a playful scowl and halfway angry words for being left behind. Oh yes…he could see her. Closing his eyes to the empty room devoid of another, he sank onto the bed. In the stillness he could pretend they were side by side, lying on a rock floor, standing under the moonlight. Something ached deep inside. He wondered at it but once more forgot it entirely, lost in his fantasy.

~To be continued~

Note: I posted this in hopes of jump-starting my creativity--otherwise I've had it for a while. More will come soon-I think. Ah well, excuse the shortness. :P

Thanks for reading--no flames or idiotic spammers! Reviews are always appreciated.

Another thing, on my profile under the deviantart stuff there's a new pic from this story. :) 'Rukia's drawing' I believe the downloaded version is the best.


	13. Chapter 13

Atonement.13

It was as she had first thought; they were too late.

Ichigo's classmate and another dark-haired girl were dead. Rukia saw him clench his hands and knew deep inside he was blaming himself_. It's not your fault_, she wanted to say, but couldn't quite swallow past the lump in her throat. That was the same thing Ukitake-Taichou and everyone else had told her when Kaien died.

The same helpless feeling of wondering, just torturing yourself by saying that only if you had been a little stronger this might not have happened.

Rukia heard his sigh and reached out, her hand inches away from the sleeve of his shirt when the wall burst inward.

_The Hollow! So, it hadn't fled to Hueco Mundo as she had thought_. She paced back, watching it warily, her instincts told her to flee, gain open ground. She had everything to lose by fighting in such close quarters as the girl's apartment.

"So..ra."

Her head swiveled to where Inoue lay on the floor, loose orange hair pillowing her head. The girl halfway rose, her gray-eyed gaze on the creature's massive face. "Big Bro..ther?" The Hollow stiffened, its voice hoarse as if it hadn't spoken in ages. "Orihime... so you remember me." There was wonder and another element that Rukia didn't like present. She tensed, standing protectively in front of Ichigo, waiting for _it_ to make the first move.

"Of course, I remember you!" The girl unconsciously raised a hand to wipe away a tear that had formed in her eye, "you're my big brother! My Sora...you took care of me ever since I was little."

"That's right," the Hollow nodded, "I took care of you all by myself and when I died you were left all alone."

Inoue clasped her hands together, pressing them to her heart, "oh! Big brother, I've missed you so much! You wouldn't believe--"

"So, much that you would rather forget my memory?" The room darkened; Rukia felt its anger rising, tainting the atmosphere. "What do you..mean?" Inoue's eyes widened. Ichigo made a move to go around Rukia, but she held him off, jerking her head to the side with a hiss of _wait!_

"After I died you prayed everyday and talked to me about how your day had gone. I couldn't cross over because I was worried for you and so I stayed around, keeping watch. Your prayers gave me peace..." It seemed to smile a little in memory, but even that soon faded, "until you met that boy!" The Hollow's angry gaze turned accusingly to Ichigo.

"He made you forget me! He was all you thought of and so you forgot me! Forgot the brother who sacrificed everything for you! And that I cannot forgive!" With this, the Hollow lunged violently for Ichigo. Rukia without thinking shoved him aside, the wall exploded behind her and she was pitched out into the night.

~*~

"Rukia!!!" Ichigo yelled, hurling himself against the edge. His amber eyes widened momentarily at the sight rising before him. "T-There's another?!"

~Las Noches~

He supposed he should've been angered at the entrance of the one-eyed little Arrancar girl. She was a part of Stark, if memory served correctly, and the embodiment of his Zanpaku-to.

"What do you want?" Ulquiorra asked, his chin tilted up to regard the frowning girl.

"Stark sent me to tell you that your _squeeze_," her mouth pouted, her arms crossed over the white halter top, "was being mauled by a lower Hollow in the living world."

Something in his chest immediately quavered, however, he managed to appear as if this news didn't concern him. "I see..."

"Alrighteee then!" She pivoted on her heel to go out the door, pausing only long enough to add, "he said she wouldn't last long. That if you didn't hurry...she'd be eaten."

The Arrancar was gone before he could question her further on the Primera's knowledge of Rukia. _How dare_-- Ulquiorra suppressed his anger. _If indeed what Stark had sent the trash to tell him of, was true then_, _but Aizen had_--

_Rukia! _

~Living world~

"Foolish woman."

She groaned softly, her head was pillowed against coarse fabric and beneath it she could feel the musculature of a firm chest. In the haziness of her thoughts, one cognizance surfaced. _That voice!_ She struggled against the arms that confined her, his name falling from her lips even as her eyes opened to find the familiar emerald green eyes staring back.

"Ulquiorra!?"

Pale lids fluttered closed, "who else?"

Rukia marveled for a moment, his face completely devoid of the mask. The same fine, almost delicate features, the cyan lines flowing beneath each orb. "Ulquiorra..." she murmured, her mouth sliding into a relieved smile, "it's really you. I thought--"

"Thought what?" There was a hint of sardonic mockery that she decided for once to ignore.

"I thought maybe I was..." he touched down on the roof of a building but didn't release her right away. She was glad of that since she didn't **want** him to let go. Suddenly feeling shy, Rukia lowered her eyes to her hand clutching the front of his jacket. _So desperately_, she thought and colored slightly, releasing her hand-hold.

"_Finish._ Rukia." Ulquiorra commanded with barely a trace of emotion in his voice.

"Wha-what I mean is--" she felt herself sway and grabbed onto his shoulders. He leapt back with ease, evading the Hollow's long arm swipe. "Trash," Ulquiorra said above her, his eyes narrowing on the form of _what-had been_ Inoue's brother. _Damn it_, inwardly she cursed. _She had forgotten about it entirely and_--

Ichigo was down below, his bright hair the only color in the darkness of the street. Rukia saw the look on his face and couldn't blame him. _But_...

Ulquiorra dodged another assault. One arm was wrapped securely about her back, keeping her in place as he phased from spot to spot. Being so close to him as she was, Rukia couldn't help but feel the power contained within his body. _Just how much more powerful had he become?_

"I've no fight with you..." She tilted her head up to catch the indifference in his eyes., "So, why do you persist-?"

The Hollow rasped, "the Shinigami..give me the Shinigami!"

_It wants...me? Has Sora Inoue's humanity totally disappeared-?! _She felt momentarily startled by the change in its sights. Ulquiorra pressed her closer, a quiet sigh leaving his mouth, "and that is the one thing I will never give up to the likes of you."

Green light pierced a hole through its forehead; its body slowly disintegrating into a thousand spirit particles.

"S-Sora!!!" Inoue's cry shattered the night.

Rukia reflected then what she had seen in Ichigo's gaze. _In his eyes, the two Hollows were the same. Two monsters. Two malevolent lost souls that needed to be destroyed._ But as Ulquiorra landed in the quiet street; she knew the truth.

_There were bad Hollows and then there were good Hollows. _

_Ulquiorra was a good Hollow_.

~*~

"What happened here?"

The question as well as the voice awoke her. _That was--but it couldn't be_...

Rukia started awake, at once Ichigo tried to hold her down, his amber eyes narrowed in suspicion wandering to the two black clad forms exiting the Shoji doors made of light.

"U-Ukitake-T-Taichou and N-Nii-sama?!" She stammered, knowing even without looking for _his_ presence, that _he_ had left once again. _Damn him_...

~To be continued~

AN: (^^; sorry for the long wait! Hopefully I still have readers. ^^ anyway I know it's not accurate at all about Inoue and the battle with Sora, but whatever. Ulqui just had to leap into action and save Rukia ;) thanks for reading.

No flames-haters-Stupid comments!

Reviews appreciated :)


	14. Chapter 14

"I've done what you asked." Stark crossed his arms, leaning against the pillar, his narrowed silver eyes focused on the man's back. "If I might.." the Primera continued carefully, ever aware of the slight sliver of the Shinigami's profile visible to him, the hint of a smile played about the sensual mouth. "..I'd like to ask just what it is you're aiming for. Having me keep an eye on that little toothpick of a Shinigami woman."

Silence followed. Slowly, deliberately Aizen turned fully to face his highest ranked officer, "simple curiosity, my Primera. Nothing more."

The slightest furrowing of Stark's brow made the Shinigami Taichou's smile widen. "I see you object to my ways."

"Not necessarily," the chestnut-haired Arrancar replied easily, "I just don't see the point."

Aizen nodded thoughtfully, resting one arm along the high rounded back of the solitary chair, "you've seen it yourself. Ulquiorra's emotionless exterior and yet.." he seemed to be looking at something in the distance, "that girl--I agree I see nothing particularly special about her. But _for her_-and _with her_...Ulquiorra becomes something else entirely."

"You mean he cares for her-?" Stark had noticed the green-eyed Arrancar's preoccupation about the petite woman's well-being, but couldn't rightly attribute its source to any sort of an emotion as being from the so-called heart. If anything, Stark was slightly envious of Ulquiorra and the woman. At least _he_ wasn't alone.

"Is it possible for a Hollow to love?" Aizen mused, his dark brown eyes tilted toward the high ceiling above as if searching for the answers. "For a feeling to be born in such an unfeeling creature..that girl must be singularly extraordinary." He seemed to come to himself after a moment, turning a guileless smile to his Espada, "so, you see, Stark. I'm only a man in a pursuit for answers. I trust you will continue to keep watch over Kuchiki Rukia?"

The Arrancar pressed the palm of one glove-covered hand to his forehead, long fingers scratching at the unkempt strands of dark hair, "as long as you want me to."

Aizen briefly nodded in dismissal.

Once the door had closed behind the slouching Arrancar's form, another materialized from the shadows. "It's of my opinion that Stark-kun might find it difficult to follow Rukia-chan from now on. The long-lost Kuchiki princess thought long dead and now found to be alive. You know they'll never believe her about _him_, right?"

"Gin...are you questioning my judgment as well?"

Without missing a beat, the Third Division Taichou smiled serenely, "why no, Aizen-Taichou. Merely giving my humblest opinion on the course you've set Byakuya-kun on. For sure the Noble Kuchiki-Taichou will do his utmost to ensure that his precious little sister stays behind the four confining walls of Seireitei...what?"

The man was chuckling quietly to himself, "Gin, oh, Gin. Such trivial matters to be concerning yourself over. It was my intention all along that Kuchiki Rukia be returned to Seireitei and young Kurosaki be left with the feeling of uselessness. Which I have no doubt that the next time there is an incident he will be there to lend his feeble strength..."

The Palace was quiet. He encountered no mocking Primera lurking about the halls and for that he was grateful, though annoyed by. The moment when he wished to question the trash, he was nowhere to be found. _What is your intentions toward stalking Rukia?_

Ulquiorra could not think of any other mode of awareness concerning her past danger save for the Primera's literal following of her. _For what reasons and why the Arrancar should think it of utmost importance that_ _he__should know_...

The sound of a loud yawn caught his attention. His head lifted and through the arched doorway rested upon the slouching form of the Primera sauntering across the opposite gallery. For a second as their gazes met, it seemed that Stark might simply Sonido to some other location within the large Las Noches compound and evade speaking with him.

However that was not the case. The broad shoulders slumped even lower in obvious surrender, the hand resting in the wide hakama flicked out in a brief gesture.

_Damn it_. _And he had been looking forward to a nap too_. Stark cursed the pale apathetic Arrancar's ability for being in the wrong place in the right time. Or however it went. Stark's mind functions felt rather sluggish after reporting to Aizen. Being on his feet for a straight one hour really took its toll on his body. Even now his thoughts turned to the fluffy green pillows...then reluctantly to the narrowed green eyes staring at him with vague aversion.

_If looks could kill_. Stark ran his fingers through his hair, gesturing that they could speak in his room. _Hey, why be mad at me?_ Irritatingly it seemed the Cuatro was going to take him up on the offer. In the back of his mind Stark had been hoping against hope that it was nothing more than a comradely greeting and not anything pertaining to the Kuchiki woman.

But, then again. Ulquiorra had never been one to think of his comrades as anything _but trash_.

A fact that rankled the furry hide of the loud blue-haired Sexta.

Halibel and the rest didn't seem to care. Stark didn't either except for when the Cuatro was giving him those darkly murderous looks.

As he was doing now.

Upon reaching his room, Stark went for the pile of pillows beneath the back column, pausing before lying full-length, to toss a cushion out of consideration for the other onto the floor. Ulquiorra made no move to approach it, merely resting his unblinking viridian gaze on Stark.

To buy time, he shut his eyes, cradling his head in his crossed arms.

"Why are you stalking Rukia?" Curt. Abrupt. Never to mince words, forever to the point.

Stark groaned silently, "who says stalking? That's quite a harsh word, Ulquiorra. Besides that..." he glanced over to catch the other's expression, "why do you care so much about that woman? It's like you're in love with her."

Absolute quiet.

In some surprise, he glimpsed the expressionless face filled with something else entirely.

_Shock_.

_Had it never occurred to him? _Stark then gleefully surmised that it hadn't indeed ever struck the Cuatro the reasons for his protectiveness over the Shinigami. _By Gods_... "it's true, isn't it?" Stark said quietly, watching Ulquiorra's expression close up again. _Aizen was right_.

"You're in love with the Shinigami...Kuchiki Rukia."

_It wasn't if a Hollow could love._

_It was the question of could a Shinigami love what they were born to destroy?_

~Living world~

"Oh, thank Gods!" The confusion quickly changed to that of the warmth she had known. "It is you, Rukia! After all this time...we've found you!"

Numbly, she couldn't say a word only turn her gaze to her brother's expressionless face.

"Rukia."

One word.

She scrambled to her feet, ignoring Ichigo's impertinent, demanding questions.

"Nii-sama." For a moment she was looking into the past, watching his haori fade into the distance. Then, it was gone and the doors to the place she had run away from stood open and Ukitake with his gentle, frail smile was genuinely welcoming not condemning.

_My home_.

She took a step forward.

_My place_..

Then another.

"Rukia!"

She paused and glanced over her shoulder to the boy whom had resembled Kaien so. "This is sayonara, Ichigo." She went the remaining way quickly before she allowed herself to feel anything remotely akin to remorse.

She stood between her brother and her old Taichou as the doors slid shut that world and his face then opened to the one where she belonged.

But as the bright sunshine spilled onto her and the world where the guardians of the afterlife lived filled her gaze, she became suddenly sad.

_This... didn't feel like home anymore._

_The bleakness of Hueco Mundo with all its dangers and emptiness..._

_..that was the place.._

..._**he**__had made home for her._

~To be continued~

AN: thanks for reading :)

No flames-haters-stupid comments!

Reviews appreciated :)


	15. Chapter 15

_In love...with...her? _His mind ever logical digested this slowly. It was impossible, the separation between Shinigami and Hollow decreed it as so_. And yet_...

_Why did he care so much for her? Why did she consume his thoughts every waking minute? Why did he think of her even now...wondering where she was, if she was safe? _ Ulquiorra could revisit in his mind's eye, the moment they first met. _On the dunes of Hueco Mundo, miles from the Menos Forest. A ragged Shinigami, weak with exhaustion. He even remembered his thoughts. His denial of feeling_.

He saw her raising her sword.

Cutting, swiping. The slight sting slicing into his flesh.

He remembered thinking she was easy prey. Another soul to fill the emptiness inside. How wrong he had been. From the moment she had fallen, collapsing beside her sword to the next when he had stared down at the creases of her eyelids, the pained set of her mouth.

He hadn't been able to do it. Kill her. Eat her soul. Ulquiorra couldn't explain what had possessed him to carry her and tend to her. She never knew how he had watched over her that night, hovered over her unconscious body, something inside twisted into a knot when she didn't awaken right away. He had seen her shiver in sleep and cursed her frail self. Hollows couldn't feel the cold of the sunless desert...

He tried to start a fire to warm her.

But, had failed. His claws weren't meant for delicate things, they were meant to shred and rip into flesh. Her soft groan had halted his attempts. _She was awake!_ He remembered the unraveling of the knot in his chest. Her wide eyes taking in her surroundings, her shock at seeing him. Her question...

_"Why didn't you kill me?"_

No fear. No repulsion. Only curiosity.

One that even he had no answer for. So, he chose the easiest answer. One she wouldn't think to question. "You weren't worthy of me." As if he was selective over his prey, as if he had from the start not had the mindset of devouring her. Ulquiorra felt it was weak at best, this explanation. Hollows weren't discerning when it came to Shinigami.

Shinigami was a rare delicacy that few would-if not none would ever pass up.

But even with that knowledge, sensing her approach.

Her lighting the fire.

Her smile.

He couldn't.

With surprising clarity, Ulquiorra saw his simple action of allowing her to live as the trigger that had been the cause of all his actions hence. The overwhelming desire to protect her... he remembered the tight rage he had felt when the other Hollows had come after her. Anger at her foolishness for setting off by herself and fear. What if...what if he hadn't made it in time. What if he didn't make it there the next time and something...

_Happened to her_.

Ulquiorra recognized this as a **feeling**.

_An _**emotion**_. _

_All for _**her**.

It was inexplicable, unexplained. There was no rhyme or reason to it.

He hadn't realized the depth of his blindness until that moment.

"You didn't know?" Stark's voice brought him to the present. Also the irritation at the Primera's smug, all-knowing tone. "How could you not realize? You must be-"

"There was no reason to suppose my attachment bordered on anything but-"

"But?" The dark-haired Arrancar made a small motion with his head, then spread his gloved hands apart, "what?" Then when he couldn't answer, Stark went on more sympathetically. "You must have suspected something was off with you if you were over there being all hostile and stuff whenever she was threatened! Kami-sama! Even I noticed it the hard way with a Cero forming in my face." The Primera sounded a little irked at the strength of his devotion, but Ulquiorra couldn't bring himself to care.

"You threatened her. You deserved what you got." For a moment his eyes narrowed, hardening into venomous green slits on the other's stretched out form and Stark's thick brows drew together sensing dangerous waters. "...sheesh! Give a guy a break here! I didn't know she was your squeeze-well," he backtracked, "I suspected as much, but I didn't know for sure and with Lord Aizen pressing me to recruit you..." Stark trailed off.

The silence grew between them.

Both burned with questions they dared not ask of the other.

Stark wanted to know what it felt like to be in love-if it was the way the humans said.

Ulquiorra felt lost. Cast adrift from all he knew and all he had built up around himself.

_In love with...Rukia_.

Somehow the knowledge though as lacking reason as it was meaningless without her giving in return...

_It didn't feel wrong...no it was the opposite._

_It felt rational. Right_.

~*) Kuchiki manor (*~

The bath water was heated. Servants had brought it with bows and murmurs deemed appropriate for her homecoming. Rukia was sure they hadn't thought of her in years. But, strangely that didn't bother her as much as before.

_Warm water..._

She cupped it in her hands, letting it slowly stream through her fingers.

_What a luxury_.

Rukia thought of the cold greenish pools she had bathed in the past. _When he had looked at her_... a blush crept onto her cheeks. _Stupid Hollow!_ His words especially brought a fluttering sensation to her stomach_. Do not delude yourself into thinking I'm interested in your body. Unless..you want me to_. What the hell did that mean?

Irritably she splashed her hands against the surface of the water, sending scattered ripples to crest against her skin. Certainly she was still upset with him for his leaving before; he'd better not think he was off the hook just because he happened to come along and catch her when she was falling! _Just because he saved her_--**again**, Rukia hastily added, rolling her eyes at the steam arising in undulating waves. Did not...

Pouting, she reanalyzed her previous thoughts. _Admitting she was the slightest bit miffed at his latest disappearing act was as perilously close to implying she had missed him which was most certainly not the case!_ _But_...

Rukia skimmed her fingers along the surface of the water, her sigh heavy. _Such silly thoughts. Seireitei __was__ her home, not Hueco Mundo_. _Even if_..she became pained at her next thoughts. _It's not right that we meet again...can't I wish for it even though it's selfish?_

~*) Quarters belonging to the Captain of Fifth Division *~)

_Rukia Kuchiki had been retrieved_.

Word had spread like wild fire throughout the streets of Seireitei, the long-lost princess from the Noble house had been found safely and in the company of a human boy in the world of the living.

Aizen observed the rumor-mongers tongues at work.

It was supposed to be a secret that she had been found with the boy whose unusually high spiritual pressure had been attracting Hollows to that specific radius known as Karakura Town.

Somehow or other, however, it had slipped out.

_All was going according to plan_. _The players were assembling and_...he smiled as Gin entered the room. _The pawn was nearly in his grasp_. "Dispatch the Grand Fischer to Karakura."

The silver-haired man bowed slightly from the corner of his eye.

"..and no mistakes, Gin. Make sure Ichigo Kurosaki comes across it first."

"As you wish, Captain Aizen."

(*~) Karakura Town (*~*)

_What the hell happened back there? _

Ichigo felt nothing but confusion and frustration that Rukia hadn't explained anything.

_Just walked to the dark-haired man and hadn't looked back_...

_Not that he had wanted-or-or expected her to even say goodbye!_ Scowling at the world in general, he ran his fingers through his spiky hair making it stick up even more. _Life was better without annoying midgets whom commandeered his room and left_...

He stopped beside the bed, staring down at the scattered papers.

Some had been ripped in the spirit-Hollow thing's attack. Ichigo knelt low, gathering them up with half a mind to toss the badly drawn things into the wastebasket by the desk_. Stupid midget leaving his room cluttered with what she called art!_ Grumbling to himself, Ichigo almost forgot one lying halfway under his bed.

When he turned it over, he discovered it to be the one of the flower.

_Such a strange thing_..his brow creased. _What was it she had said about it-?_

Ichigo sat at the edge of the bed, the drawings set aside and only the one left in his hand. _It was nice_, he thought. Pleasant even. Somehow just looking at it, his tension drained away. _This one was good_, he cast a disparaging eye to the bunny with weird green lines on its round face fighting off another bunny with a menacing expression. _Compared to that_.

_But_...he screwed his eyes shut trying to remember the scuffle in the darkness. At one moment the Hollow-humanoid thing had alighted in the street carrying Rukia. Ichigo had caught a glimpse of its face. _White skin, cat-like green orbs and_...

He settled the bunny pictures beneath an old Spark notes paperback in the desk drawer. Standing up, he walked over to his closet, opening one side to reach in and tape the Luna to the back. Then each morning when he dressed for school, barring his dad's sometimes annoying wake-up call; he'd see it.

Ichigo scowled even harder as he recalled the brief instant when the Hollow's face had been illuminated beneath the street lamp. Green lines flowed beneath each eye. _That must've been-!_

(*~*) To be continued~

AN: In my profile there's a link to a fanart I did for the story. Check it out ^^

Thanks for reading ^^ Ichi will of course have a bigger role in later chapters. This is IchixRukixUlqui after all.

No flames-haters-stupid comments!

Reviews appreciated ^^


	16. Chapter 16

Everything was the same. She hadn't noticed it on her way to the bath, but every single thing in her room had been left where she had put it since leaving that time to the Thirteenth Division. Fingering the hair ornaments never worn, she reflected on her feelings.

What was so indefinable previously, made almost sense now.

They had needed each other. She had liked that fulfillment, of being required. Needed. That had been lacking during the beginning from her estrangement with Renji- strange she hadn't thought of him at all when with Ulquiorra. There had always been something else to do, words to bandy with the usually silent Hollow, food to gather, bath sights to find...

_Dammit_. Annoyed with the tell-tale prickling of her eyes, she rubbed furiously at them. _How weak was that...tearing up over remembrances like those? She-!_

"Rukia.." The door slid open quietly.

Stiffening with the thrill of nervous tension that had always gripped her being in his presence, she turned slowly, wearing a mask of calmness. "Nii-sama, you required something-?" her eyes respectfully remained trained somewhere on the side, rather than directly meeting his gaze.

He did the same. Looking askance, past her out into the slice of the gardens visible beyond the engawa. "I trust everything is to your preferences?"

_As if he ever gave a da_- but she stopped her rebellious thoughts. "Yes."

A short pause, then, "I thought it best for you to rest a duration before resuming your duties in the Thirteenth division. I took the liberty of informing Ukitake of this beforehand."

"Ah, whatever Nii-sama thinks is best." Rukia murmured, a quiet seething steadily growing strength within her. Rest was the thing she wanted the least. To get back into her long neglected duties, to once again sink into obscurity as just another face among others was what she want-no needed.

"Rukia." The note of something else in his cool tone surprised her.

"Nii-sama, w-what is it?" Rukia despised the tremor she had given away.

"There were two Hollows reported in the vicinity of where you were discovered. One was of considerable strength..of more than what you yourself could've handled."

Her eyes hardened but she kept the rest of her expression neutral. _Ulquiorra_..

"Understandably it is being questioned, your state of well-being coming from such a situation." Byakuya's cold gray eyes remained somewhere to the left of her.

Her anger deepened. _How dare he...!_

"Now I must ask..." his voice was a deadly thin whisper. "**Why **are you unharmed, Rukia?"

That did it. "Ulquiorra would never-!" She bit down on the insides of her mouth, too late realizing she had been led into a trap.

"Ul..quiorra?" her brother's lips thinned. "Pray tell who is this-_Ulquiorra_, Rukia? It is a Hollow, is it not?"

(*)*)*)*)*)Las Noches Palace(*)*)*)*)*)

"So, are you really going to go through with it?" Lilinette's usually bossy voice was timorous, a pitch lower than what he was used to. "Of course." Stark had his arms pillowed under his head, eyes staring up at the ceiling moodily. _That Ulquiorra was a peculiar one_.

Rather than find it disturbing or not in the norm of developing some sort of feeling toward a Shinigami, the Primera could see it didn't bother the Cuatro in the slightest. Startled some by this forced realization, then on further contemplation accepting it to a degree of near impassiveness that was infuriating as Stark wasn't good at reading expressions.

_What does it feel like? _ That was what he most desired to know. He could almost envy the other, having the companionship he had lacked for all those years.

"What I don't see is why all this just for a Shinigami!" Lilinette persisted, pouting in visible annoyance. "I mean what is Lord Aizen thinking being interested in her?"

"It's not our place to question our Lord's whims." Stark patiently said, though he himself wasn't so fond of the idea. There was a soft flump as his fraccion dropped onto one of the outer pillows, her skinny arms and legs crossed, her expression set in a serious frown.

"Yeah... but what I don't get is why not Ulquiorra? Why do you have to go to that place, Stark?"

He heard the sadness in her tone, masked by the petulant child's whine. Being two halves of the same Hollow meant that the absence of one was felt deeply by the other. He wasn't sure of how it would feel, their connection tested between two worlds for a longer period of time.

"Ulquiorra...was not informed of this."

"I know that!"

"Our Lord wished to observe the effects Kuchiki Rukia left upon the Cuatro Espada for what specific reason I do not know."

She grew quiet, her one eye tilted to study the floor. "..maybe Lord Aizen thinks that the Shinigami might abandon the other Shinigami for Ulquiorra and that's why he needs you to watch over her- for when that time comes."

Stark made a noise in his throat, grumbling softly. _It was entirely possible Aizen had thought that much ahead_. But he did have to smile some. "That Shinigami has a knack for getting into trouble. More likely Aizen's afraid she'll get herself eaten or something before he has a chance to accomplish whatever objective he has for them."

"That's true!" Lilinette crossed her arms over her scanty top. "If Kuchiki Rukia would get herself eaten then there would be no need for you to go to Soul Society!"

"Don't let _him_ hear you say that." he warned, "Ulquiorra's very protective over that little Shinigami."

"Hmm.. well, I don't care. He's Cuatro and together we're _the Primera_. There's nothing he can say or do to_ us_."

"Still. I don't want you to be saying things like that. I've asked Halibel to keep an eye on you while I'm gone-" he stopped.

"About that.." once again her expression became downcast. "When exactly are you going to leave?"

Sighing a little, he reached out and ruffled the top of her head, mussing up the short blond strands that weren't hidden by the broken mask fragment. "Szayel's creating the Gigai as we speak. So, I'm sure I can expect it by sometime tomorrow."

She made a face, for once not snapping at him. "Oh, I see."

"Lilinette..." Stark could feel the depression seeping through their bond.

She looked up at him. "Stark...you're such a big oaf, be careful around those Shinigami, you know how they hate our kind."

_One didn't_, he was sure, thinking of the petite yet weak-seeming Shinigami, but didn't say anything.

(*)*)*)*)*)Living world(*)*)*)*)*)

Ichigo couldn't catch his breath.

Running up the streets, pursued by something only he could see... his eyes screwed shut tightly, willing his aching lungs to take in a draught of air. _He was only glad he had able to draw it away from Chad and Tatsuki_. The creature's clawed feet scraped the asphalt behind him, the heavy lumbering gait _familiar_ almost as was the long lure like thing hanging before its horrible masked face.

Strangely he thought of Rukia.

Then of the sword she had wielded to protect him the first night they met.

_Where had she gone? _ Though he had only known her for such a short time, it felt like it had been longer. _He_-

_"I've got you now, boy!" _ The triumphant ring of the creature's bass tones reverberated seconds before he was slammed down. The ground jarred his spine painfully making a groan leave his lips. _Was this the end?_

Trapped between the creature's front legs, he couldn't move as it lowered its face to him, inclining its nostrils to inhale deeply something only **it** could smell.

_"Haha! I knew it, boy! You're that prey whom escaped me by that foolish woman's sacrifice!"_

His vision blurred; his thoughts growing confused.

_Wha...what did it mean?_

A massive limb settled against his chest, pinning him down.

_"Now become one with me!" _

The last thing Ichigo saw, was his mother's kindly face smiling down at him, her body attached to the lure.

(*)*)*)*)*)

"Ichigo-!" Isshin's quiet gasp was a parent's worst nightmare.

"So, you felt it as well." A blond man knelt on one knee at the fallen boy's side. Blood had soaked through the breast. The shopkeeper's eyes slanted up at the other's approach. "The Grand Fisher of course. I unfortunately was only able to chase it away for the time being. I'm sure it will be back to finish what it had started."

The father dropped to the ground, to his trained eye as a human doctor he could see the pallid lifelessness of his son's body. "Save him." To be asking the help of the man was a severe blow to Isshin's pride, however he could not do what needed to be done on his own strength. His fault in not being able to save Masaki had taught him that.

"I know you can do it. So...please. Save my son."

Urahara looked at him measuredly, the slightest of smiles shadowing his handsome face. "I can, however...there will be a price."

Isshin clasped the fingers about Ichigo's flaccid wrist, feeling what he knew already. No pulse.

"Name it."

-TBC...

AN: sorry for the long wait -.-; thanks for reading.

No flames-haters-stupid comments!

Reviews appreciated and loved :)


	17. Chapter 17

Rest. Rukia queried herself as to the reasons for it. She had been admitted as vaguely underweight with a few contusions resulting from her solitary battle in the living world.

_She wasn't malnourished with what Ulquiorra had brought her during those years_.

She was glad when Unohana had dismissed the notion that she was unwell to resume her previous duties. Nii-sama had said nothing then, merely seeing the Fourth company Captain out then issuing orders to the servants not to let _her_ leave the premises.

_What was going on..? _And she had disliked the way he had questioned her the night before.

"_Ul..quiorra? __Pray tell who is this-__Ulquiorra__, Rukia? It is a Hollow, is it not?"_

Why had Nii-sama taken such an interest in it? She had hated the way he had sounded. _Suspicious_.

_"None of your concern."_ she had replied coldly then. Looking back on it as she did, she realized how she must've sounded. Ungrateful. Rude even to a man whom had given her everything worldly. What was so wrong with it after all...? Her eyes closed as the sliding doors to her rooms were locked with a soft click from the outside.

_"I see...speak not a word of this." _

_Why had Nii-sama seemed so disturbed at the thought that...a Hollow had saved her?_

Her hands fisted. _She wished that they had never found her_.

_Maybe Ulquiorra wouldn't have left her then_...

(*)*)*)Las Noches Palace(*)*)*)

"Where's my Zanpaku-to?" Stark surveyed the ensemble, boredom in the slouched hesitance in reaching for the black kimono first. Szayel disapprovingly tapped his hand making the Primera drawback, staring with a -_What-is-it-now-_ expression.

"Tell me how it fits first, if you don't mind." The scientist was plenty proud of his creations, in particular mimicking the Shinigami way of temporary bodies.

The Primera frowned, reaching up an unmarked hand to scratch at his faint goatee. "..Fine, I guess. If you don't mind being squished into a meat-suit."

Szayel rolled his pinkish-colored eyes behind the bone frames. "Come now, it's merely a temporary situation, the least you can do is appear..._alert!"_

Stark started awake at the Octava's exclamation. Waving his hand in a shooing gesture, he muttered, "yeah-yeah. I know the drill. Watch how others are, mimic the actions-and most of all, do not eye the Shinigami as _food_."

"Precisely!" Szayel said with a flourish, turning to one his Fraccion waddling up happily.

"Lord Szayel! _Los Lobos_ is ready!"

"Indeed, indeed." The Octava preened, carefully taking the long scabbard from the Arrancar. "That'll be all, Verona."

"Los...Lobos?" It being the exact name of his resurrección, Stark hadn't trouble recognizing the yellow hilt however he knew for sure that Lilinette had stayed sulking in the pillows in their shared domain. Not wanting to say goodbye to her other half. _Had she changed her mind?_

He tried seeking her consciousness within the static form, scowling at his fellow Espada when he couldn't find it. "This is a fake." Stark said flatly, already disliking the way the black robes hung from his body.

Szayel shook his head quickly, scandalized. "Of course it is, silly! You could not go around the Shinigami with Lilinette-chan sealed as your sword!"

"Why not?" Stark thought it ridiculous that he could be expected to carry something that was obviously such an imposter compared to his true Zanpaku-to. He was loath to accept the hilt Szayel brandished to him.

The scientist matched his scowl. "Here! Take it. As much as the idea disdains you for carrying something other than Lilinette-chan, you haven't a choice in the matter. It was Lord Aizen's will."

The Primera sighed, his fingers wrapping around the hilt, feeling none of the welcoming power mirrored back to him. "All..for Lord Aizen." True. He was doing it all for the Shinigami merely indebted for everything he had. Stark slid the scabbard through his sash, glancing once more to Szayel. "Anything else?" As much as the idea that he would be losing valuable time that could've been spent slumbering, he had the faintest spark of...curiosity. Unusual for an Arrancar since as evolved Hollows, they lacked real emotion of any kind.

Yet. Stark didn't know what to call it except...curiosity. He wanted to _interact_ with the petite Shinigami that had so entranced the stoic green-eyed Cuatro. _Maybe see...what Ulquiorra saw in her_.

"No," the Octava was busy looking over a clipboard, checking off written instructions.

And for that he needed to travel to Soul Society.

"Remember," the pink-haired scientist finally looked up with a serious expression on his face. "You aren't going for a position of power, merely to..blend in. Get a scope of things. Your reiatsu is nearly suppressed completely, however I advise strict caution around the Shinigami Captains."

Stark had heard it all before. "I know that already..." he covered his mouth with his hand stifling the quiet yawn. "Can I go now?"

Szayel frowned at his lecture being cut off so soon. "I suppose." The scientist sounded vaguely sulky, his gaze wandering around the large lab- one in a massive complex of many within Las Noches palace. "I am curious- from a scientific point, how Ulquiorra could gain a semblance of human emotion...lacking the organ known as _the heart."_

_So, he wasn't the only one_...

"Who knows?" The Primera rolled his shoulders, retrieving a small inter-dimensional cube from within the Kosode. "It isn't my task to learn just how Ulquiorra thinks." He stared at the tiny innocuous-seeming item for a long time. It had been built for the singular purpose for opening a portal into the Rukongai.

"That's true." Szayel sighed, looking a little disappointedly down at his clipboard again. "You will...tell me, won't you?"

The cube he had crushed between his index and thumb began expanding in a shallow diaphanous sort of light. Stark understood without more being spoken. "Of course."

Szayel nodded once, using Sonido to cross the room to safety. Calling only once in a fussy manner that was trademark to the resident weaponry expert. "..And don't fall asleep!"

Stark rolled his eyes, giving a backward hand wave. _Yeah-yeah_..

Within moments the light from the cube had encompassed his entire being.

(*)*)*)Two weeks later, Seireitei(*)*)*)

She berated herself.

Of course she did. For that strange little flitter-flutter in her chest.

_Dark.._. She did her best to pay attention to what Kiyone said; filling her in on everything that had happened in her long absence.

_Black hair_.

From a distance any male fitting the slightest characteristic of _him_, made her search.

Eyes pick apart the crowd. Hands sweat. Pulse race.

But, she was always disappointed. Rukia kept her smile pasted on, pretending to find delight in Kiyone's kind re-acquaintance with her and Seireitei. Rukia's heart just wasn't in _it_.

_Of course, he wouldn't..be there_.

"I'm..feeling a little tired." she turned to the short blonde. Despising the way she so eagerly grasped at the chance to be alone. To use weakness as an escape.

"Oh, of course, Rukia!" Kiyone's smile was so sweetly understanding that Rukia felt more than the usual amount of guilt beset her. "-here I am blathering away and I'm exhausting you!"

_Everything was_. "It's..okay." her return smile was weak at best. A tremulous version of reality behind the mask of normalcy she desperately affected. _Everything...was just so..__**wrong**_.

"-If you need anything-"

"I'll know where to go." she hushed aside the other girl's friendly concern. _Was it so difficult to slip back into routine once she had let go of it for a nomadic existence?_ She watched the third seat head back to their Captain's side.

Kiyone...only wanted to be her friend. Rukia began walking the opposite way. Hadn't she wanted.._that?_ She knew better than to start running until she had cleared the garden compound. _Back after leaving the academy, after her adoption into the Kuchiki clan?_ Cleared the walls. _Hadn't she longed for another- a confidante in which she could talk to- share her thoughts and fears with?_

_After losing Renji...yes. _

She couldn't understand when it all had changed.

Running and running without purpose or mind on where to go; she went far. Her mind in a torrent of half-realization, part confusion. Acceptance was a long way far from where she was.

Why do I feel this way..? Part of her was angry. Upset that what she had wanted for so long was within her grasp. _Friendship. Camaraderie with her fellow Shinigami_. Why can't I accept it? Rukia felt she was made up of a thousand different pieces. Unfitting. Lacking the necessary element to bind them together.

But, what was the element..?

She was afraid of the answer.

At length her pace began to roughen. Her slender legs unused the hard exertion trembling. They gave out just as she had reached a place from long ago in her memory. _The lake_... panting heavily, she collapsed uncaring of getting grass stains on her shihakusho.

"Whoa there...where's the fire?"

The voice made her eyes snap open, her body jerk quickly into an upright position, a retort on her hot in her throat about people who sneak up on other people. Then, she saw it was a fellow Shinigami. A male around her Nii-sama's age. He had wavy dark brown hair ending chin-length, faint stubble like shadow on the strong chin. The high cheek-bones were clean-shaven. The mouth that had spoken suddenly creased into a confused yet good-natured grin.

"Um-this is a little embarrassing..but, I'm uh-lost." His eyes passed over the scenery in meaning. "This place, Seireitei is so large...I'm a new recruit by the way."

_That explained why he didn't look familiar_. Rukia blinked to herself then scrambled up realizing how she must've looked barreling through the forest like that. "Oh, yes it is. I know what you mean." she dusted off the front of her kimono, hearing the crinkled of paper. The stranger held a sheaf of parchment in one large, tendony hand.

"Which Company?"

"Oh- um..." he consulted the paper again. "..I was recommended by C-Captain Aizen of Fifth, to Captain Ukitake of Thirteenth?"

He looked so bewildered for a moment that she chuckled softly, surprising herself with the sound. "Don't look like that! Thirteenth's a good Company and _my_ Captain is the nicest of them all! - I'm part of Thirteenth myself." She held a hand to her chest, "Kuchiki Rukia and you are?"

The stranger fumbled some, seemingly unsure of the proper gesture to make. In the end he stuck his hand out in an entirely foreign manner. Rukia decided h_e must've been from another place_. But, she laid her small hand in his, allowing him to close it. Shaking her hand briskly yet gently as if he were afraid to crush it.

" Gingerback Stark." he said perfectly seriously.

"Stark?" Rukia repeated to herself.

He looked a little self-conscious. "A nickname from the Rukongai. It just..sort of stuck, you know."

Rukia knew what it was like. "I..understand. Come on, I know the way." Then, she smiled a little to reassure him. Stark returned it with the slightest lift of the corner of his mouth. "Alright."

She didn't know why, even though they had just met. Rukia felt a sense of ease in his presence_. Like he would understand anything_...

(*)*)*)Living world(*)*)*)

_What kind of price was that..?_

Isshin ignored the tea offered. Pacing every so often like a caged wild beast in the small room in the back of the Shoten. _The very artifact that had condemned the other in Soul Society's eyes forever...hidden within the Konpaku of his son?_

But, it was exactly what he should've expected from the man.

_Always a price...always a cost for everything. Sometimes it was higher_.

Awakening Ichigo's latent spiritual powers had been the only alternative to complete death. The Doctor's eyes slid shut, seemingly to pray for patience. A Gigai to mask his true demise and for a time his son could _'live'_.

_"I also wish to train him."_

Isshin growled in frustration at being forced to play right into the man's hands.

_Using the Grand Fisher as an excuse. A pretext to hone his son's raw power_.

In time, he settled down. Lapsing into glowering silence. The little girl whom was one of Urahara's assistants peered in nervously from the cracked open door.

Now all he could was wait.

Wait until his son was reborn as a Shinigami.

-TBC...

AN: thanks for reading :) it had taken moi a while to figure out where I wanted to take the story. Sorry for such a late update. Yes, Ichi-berry died- and the little deviant ball called the Hogyoku was hidden inside of him. ;) Rukia's upset because Ulquiorra isn't there. Never fear, Ulqui will come back probably next chapter.

No flames-haters-stupid comments!

Please review :)


	18. Chapter 18

_So, this was Seireitei_.

Stark scratched his nose, lounging up high on a limb within the grounds of Ugendo.

_It was...nice_. Just a day in Thirteenth's company and the Shinigami hadn't suspected a thing yet. Not the frail white-haired man whom carried the scent pervasive of true death, nor the bubbly easily excitable third seats who always hung around Ukitake Jushiro.

It was interesting to watch the man deal with his subordinates, never losing his temper, never coolly insulting their incompetence or even raising his reiatsu in threat, which must've been immense since Ukitake was a Taichou.

The differences between Thirteenth's Taichou and Aizen were...

_Like night and day_.

_Even so_, the Primera smiled faintly to himself, his head sinking to droop onto his chest. _It was doubtful that Ukitake would treat __him__ the same once he knew an Arrancar was in his midst_. Stark knew all Shinigami were the same in their treatment of the damned souls. _Perhaps not Rukia_, he amended silently.

He had yet to hear one mention of Ulquiorra, but then he assumed the girl was smart enough not to-

"Lazy baka!"

Something whistled sharply through the air. Stark dropped down a hand, catching it solidly in his palm. "Is that how you normally greet people, Kuchiki-san?" The honorifics were a little strange to use in conjunction to a Shinigami's name, but apparently Rukia was some kind of Noble-? Lord Aizen had mentioned something about the Kuchiki clan, _the head especially_.

He tried not to think about Rukia's brother. Instead, bringing his cupped palm up to see a bright red apple, polished and warm from the sun resting in it.

He heard an angry huff.

"Just come down already!"

Peering between the leaves covering the branches, he saw her small black-clad form sinking beneath the tree up against the trunk. _May as well_... he had been keeping an eye for her to arrive yet here she had searched him out by herself. He relished the thought that maybe his task wasn't going to be as hard after all, that meant more time for sleeping later on.

Curling up his legs, he sprung down agile, darting twice to the side then finally dropping down swiftly beside her. Currents of air from his descent ruffled her hair, a few strands sliding out of place, she ignored them however, making a face as he sat down.

"You're fast...how come you didn't make a seated position?"

A flicker of unease rippled through him. "I-I'm not...well...to be honest." he tried look shamefacedly, running one hand through his hair, sounding almost chagrined. "I'm not very good at anything in particular..other than speed." Which was true, he thought in part for his conscience in lying to her. He didn't know any real Shinigami Kido- suddenly he wondered why he even was trying to make up excuses.

_What was one more when his entire persona to the Shinigami was a lie?_

Somehow that realization made him slightly.._wistful_.

To his surprise, she nodded vigorously.

"I see..." her large violet eyes turned somberly down to the blood red apple clutched between her small hands. "I'm not...very good at anything..either."

"You shouldn't... belittle yourself." The words left his mouth before he had even had a chance to think about it. For a time, he could sense her gaze on him. Turning quickly. Surprised as well. He had never given encouragement to anyone in his existence as a Hollow, giving it now to a Shinigami merely seemed...strange.

_Different-_ he corrected. Preferring to separate different things like the apple as being the first object anyone had ever given him. Hollows didn't give other Hollows things. _Lilinette being a part of him couldn't even give him her company_.

Looking at the fruit which by comparison did not dwarf his hand as hers did, so different was the size of their hands; a little of the warmth the outside peeling held seemed to seep inwardly, warming his insides.

Rukia flushed the slightest bit, biting into her apple with a mutter he couldn't hear.

He didn't want to eat the apple in his hand.

Not when it was the first thing he had ever been given.

(*)*)*)Las Noches Palace(*)*)*)

The trash were louder this day.

From within the sanctum of his rooms, he could hear them.

Perhaps it was the absence of the Primera and the Segunda's futile attempts to supplant him. Ulquiorra could not care less, even though the bothersome Fraccion of Stark's, Lilinette had made a point as they each filed off their separate ways from the meeting, _that Stark was on a top secret mission_.

That was logical as the Primera had been sent before to gather potential soldiers from the Hueco Mundo desert dwellers.

_Like himself_.

The knowledge though being the truth, could not afford the Cuatro _peace of mind_, having Rukia closer, would've. He had not forgotten the Primera's threat toward her nor Stark's involvement in..._that realization either_.

There could be no easily forgetting that which lay closely guarded within his emotionless facade.

Love- the least of which. Slight perturbation, slight annoyance at the restriction to his movements. Above all...the feeling of lack.

Not the aching expanse within a normal Hollow; Ulquiorra had long surpassed the baseness, knowing even before. He had fed less, much less as a Vasto Lordes once Rukia was firmly enrooted within his structure of sight. Ulquiorra believed in everything his eyes saw as real. True. Her absence of fear, even welcoming though irritated the last time they had seen each other, had substantiality to it.

Rukia did not hate his very being as all other Shinigami did.

Rukia did not fear him, nor the power he had used to protect her as something _monstrous_.

He wanted-

The nature of want wasn't unfamiliar to a Hollow, yet the nature of the want lacked the very thing that made Hollows inhuman, foul creatures.

He wanted her safe.

He wanted her near, so he could watch over her.

_Why...why hadn't Lord Aizen retrieved her yet?_

Though he did not wish to disobey orders of his absent Lord; it disturbed him the thought that she was left to her own devices, despite he was sure, she would've been vehemently denying she was weak, or foolish or any of the like.

He knew differently however, closing his viridian eyes to the empty monochrome room.

"Ulquiorra-sama...sir, where do you want this?" The meek voice of the servant Arrancar, tamed to servile attendance, spoke when the other one wouldn't. Items of human make. They seemed almost insignificant to his apathetic gaze, yet it was Ichimaru's offer, the understanding being that Rukia would require items such as those very ones he frowned upon as they were settled carefully down.

The servants swiftly left, yet returned eventually with a chest of heavy oak in creamy colors.

"That is all." He dismissed curtly, never once sparing the lowly trash another glance.

"Yes, sir." Heels clicked. Bows made. The door soon closed to blessed silence. He went to the chest, lifting up the heavy, carved lid; gazing solemnly at the contents. In time, he bent, gathering up the silky flowing garment in his arms, carrying it to the side of the bed where he laid his burden down carefully.

It was a white dress.

Ulquiorra taxed himself on patience.

Soon she would wear it...soon she would be at his side.

He just had to have faith in Lord Aizen's word.

(*)*)*)*Unknown place*(*)*)*)

Pain. Searing through his skull.

Ichigo longed to wrap his hands around his head in an attempt to gain any measure of release from it. _Please-please_-

Yet could not seem to move. His arms and legs were firmly placed against his sides and apart just the slightest space. He had no voice in the never ending blackness to which he opened his eyes to. Nothing but-

"What're you doing just lying there, baka? Get up!" Yelled a familiar voice close by.

_Ru-Rukia?_ He hardly dared hope, lifting his head up, staring into the pitch. He could not see her yet there was no mistaking those tones.

"Get up, I said!"

He started.

The midget was _there _ suddenly. Standing over him in an overlarge T-shirt and a skirt of Yuzu's. Scowling down at him from all her petite height. "What? Are you just going to keep sitting there looking even more like an idiot? C'mon!" Then, she thrust her hand in his face, her manners irritating as always.

He stared at the small, thin hand with delicately pointed nails, his own arm raising from his side and then larger hand sliding into hers. _He could move_. _Could speak_. "R-Rukia?" for some reason his voice was rusty, hoarse with disuse. The midget was surprisingly strong as she pulled him to his feet, unsatisfied until she was pulling him forward faster than his legs were willing to travel.

"..Is it really you?"

She stopped, deliberately turning halfway so he could see her eye-roll. "Of course it is! Now, hurry up! They're waiting for you!"

"Who is?" _The last thing he remembered_...Ichigo scowled. His memory was blank, considering everything that probably wasn't a good thing. A new thought occurred to him, one he didn't particularly like. "I'm...dreaming, aren't I?"

She didn't answer, instead tugging urgently once more on his hand. "Hurry! You need to get out of here, Ichigo!"

"Why?" He didn't understand her. It was dark yes, all around cloying blackness loomed. Yet on the other end...he wasn't afraid anymore.

"Because!" She turned fully around, her image suddenly wavering like a ripple on water. "This place is-"

"Ru-" startled by the intangibility of her, he reached out his other hand in a vain attempt to hold her there. His fingers passed through thin air.

She was gone.

_Gone._

_Gone _ and he was spiraling through the blackness, shutting his eyes against the iciness that cut daggers into his heart, anchoring deep within his soul.

Then, nothing.

He had landed on solid ground. Coldness was beneath his face. Tentatively placing his palms against the ground, he discovered it to be very firm. _Where was the midget?_ Concern overcame the irrationality of his situation as light flooded his eyes when he opened them. A large, flat expanse of..._concrete?_

Farther ahead, a row of windows like the windows of a business building ran three deep. Panes reflecting the sideways sky above. _What the...hell? _ Ichigo tried to make sense of everything. Amber eyes darting around feverishly, then back down noting he still wore the gray jacket over a white T-shirt and matching gray slacks. _His school uniform_.

At least that helped. _He did remember_-

He stiffened, involuntarily pressing a tentative hand to his chest where a hole should've been. Now a chain protruded. _A chain like_-

"Boy!" A deep male voice called out sharply.

Ichigo spun toward the sound, his palms burning where they scraped the cement. _He did not trust his legs to stand up_. "Who...are you?" His startled gaze alighted upon the speaker as a middle-aged man dressed in head to toe black. Flowing dark shoulder-length hair lifted in a breeze he could not feel, the stranger's gaze riveted solely on him. It bothered Ichigo that he could not see the man's eyes through the tinted sunglasses.

"_Who_ am I?" The man asked as though vaguely insulted.

Ichigo decided he didn't like his attitude. "Yeah, I don't particularly associate with anyone as gloomy as you and especially since _what the hell did you do to Rukia?" _ The last part ended on a hiss, fueled by rising anger.

For a moment dark brown eyes peered over the top of the sunglasses, scrutiny given in a manner which seemed to question his sanity. "There is no one else here but you and I."

(*)*)*)Fifth Division office, Seireitei(*)*)*)

.._So, the Grand Fisher had been successful_.

The silence of his office was particularly favored; Hinamori's obedience like a servile dog could be so mundane sometimes, so he had sent her off on a few errands she had been more than pleased to carry out.

_The simpleton_..

Aizen sipped at the tea which had cooled to mild warmth. One of Hinamori's few skills, particularly one he lamented its absence in Las Noches; that of tea ritual. Her cup of tea was by far the most flavorful that had ever passed beneath his discerning tastes.

The one thing that disturbed his enjoyment of the fresh pot, Hinamori was so kind to leave; was of the new task to assign to Gin. Really, the man had much curiosity, particularly fixation like a mania with little Kuchiki Rukia. Gin was likely to alarm her, or to arouse suspicion were he to begin his little games again.

And that Aizen could not have.

Reflecting with a faint smile like a satisfied grin that didn't extend to mellow out the hardened predator's edge from his eyes, it was better than expected, what the Primera Espada's placement among the Shinigami had resulted in.

Nary a drop of suspicion had fallen from Ukitake's accepting officers, nor from the man himself.

That in itself wasn't surprising.

It was merely the Captain of sixth's actions that had drawn a net of wariness to enclose the schemes of his. While Aizen had wished to examine Kuchiki Rukia under the settings of which she belonged, he knew of his Cuatro's wearing thin patience as well.

_So amusing_.

But, he didn't believe Ulquiorra capable of insurrection merely because he had taken time on delivering Kuchiki Rukia. Rather... Aizen's deep, dark brown eyes studied the few black dregs at the bottom of the earthenware cup, pensively.

_To leave everything she had regained behind._

_To betray her race and live in the world of white where the darkness became a falsity of pure light._

It was strength of her impossible feelings, he desired to learn the extent of.

And for that he needed more time.

-TBC

AN: Breaking the Soul will be updated, it's just a little late this time. Instead, I did this chapter to make up for it :)

No flames!


	19. Chapter 19

"You wanted to see me, sir?"

A week had passed and still he was sure none of them suspected. Yet Aizen had still summoned him to the plain somewhat homely office of Fifth Division. The small brunette Shinigami whom was by rank Aizen's Lieutenant, smiled vaguely at him as she passed with an errand to carry out.

Stark was sure this had been arranged to give him and his Lord time to speak in privacy. About Rukia...slight worry disturbed him inside. Aizen however took his time in addressed the Arrancar, dwelling over the smooth pool of light green liquid in the tea bowl he held in large, powerful hands.

"I can sense your confusion, Stark. Whatever is the matter?"

"Nothing, Aizen-taichou." He said slowly, scratching slightly at the scant facial hair on his cheek. "I only wondered the cause of your sudden summons."

"Ah, yes." The man smiled pleasantly lacking the guile that graced the handsome looks of Hueco Mundo's Lord. "I understand that Rukia-chan went on a mission today?"

Uncomfortably Stark shifted in the straw sandals. "Er, yes. Would you like me to follow them?" He had of course been secretly wishing to trail along and been casting his mind about for an excuse. Equally appealing though was the desire to have a nap undisturbed by Rukia's complaints.

It seemed a nap wasn't to be.

"Hmm..I think that would be best." He said pensively, "I've sent Gin to prepare a small- ah how shall I say, surprise for Rukia-chan. If she doesn't let mercy steal into her heart, I doubt there will be a problem."

Stark could only feel a subtle feeling of dismay creeping into his being. "I will leave immediately, sir." As he turned to leave, Aizen's voice made him hesitate.

"Stark...curb your growing attachment to Rukia Kuchiki. Remember what you and she are."

He left without another word.

_Why don't you say the same of Ulquiorra? _ It remained unspoken.  
...Las Noches…

"So, why are you here exactly?" Szayel's voice caused him to pause before the sealed door. Within a child's voice replied in an irritated tone, "'cause, I thought maybe you'd had news of Stark. I'm worried for him being around all those Shinigami!"

Ulquiorra recalled the secret mission the Primera had been sent on, weeks back. His calculating mind seized upon the news, supplying reasons why his master would choose such a course. Only one stood out among the rest: _Rukia_. Darkness flashed through his emerald eyes, his countenance remained impassive.

"Pinky!" muttered the scientist, offended.

"Yeah," Lilinette said in a giggle, "like your hair!"

He chose to knock then. Raptly twice. The two occupants descended into silence then after a minute's passing, Szayel called, "come in." The door opened on some built-in mechanism. The sterile scent of antiseptic lingered in the air from the drafty confines of the massive laboratory. Szayel stood at one end of the counter, a clipboard cradled in the crook of his arm, on the edge not too far away Lilinette sat, swinging her bare legs.

"Hiya, Cuatro!" she said cheekily; Ulquiorra knew better than to be remiss in acknowledging the half of the Primera Espada, a curt nod sufficed in her direction, a subtle paling draining the animation from the Octava's face.

"I came merely to inquire on the test subjects below the Palace. The Director General ordered that I gather the progress reports and have them ready for Aizen-sama's perusal upon his return."

A notion had occurred to Szayel, the longer he was fixated upon with the unblinking stare of his superior Espada, forcing himself to remain calm. The scientist jerked a hand at the filing cabinet across the room. "In there, top drawer, everything's complete except for the middle of this week, but I can have it all assembled soon enough."

Ulquiorra kept his gaze on the visible disconcerted Arrancar a moment longer than would be deemed necessary. All this contributed to his increasing suspicions on the nature of the Primera's mission. Yet he knew he had to proceed carefully, he still trusted Aizen implicitly but began to retain a thread of something...something which disturbed him even greater.

...loathing in the cold glance he favored Lilinette with. Despise at the merest thought that even then Stark could be in Rukia's company when he could **not**. Keeping a certain facade, he went about and gathered the required articles, leaving with a sigh of relief audible from the Octava Espada.

For the remainder of the hour or so he calculated his time carefully, he acted without revealing a thing of the knowledge he had learned. To Tosen, he left the articles in care of, ignored the jibes of the trash Grimmjow in the hallway before making his way to his private quarters. There in the silence and cold white sterility of the room he had prepared for her, he came to the conclusion of what had to be done.

He had to see her again.

He wouldn't be able to function if he did not.

/../

There was a feeling deep inside her. A sort of nervousness, wary tension that made her senses alert, her eyes sweep the innocuous stretch of forest. She was among the group of five Shinigami sent out to survey a particular area of Aokigahara forest. It was more for her benefit to observe them carry out their missions than anything else. While Rukia was grateful for Ukitake trying to find her a niche in Seireitei, she had that unshakable feeling something was wrong.

"Feeling alright, Kuchiki-san?" Interrupted a distinctly male voice to her left. It belonged to one of the more friendlier officers, Toya Amakusa. She forced a smile and a shake of her head. Something about the way his long hair was tied back, the shorter ends framing his face reminded her of - _Ulquiorra_.

She forced that feeling away too.

It didn't do any good to dwell on the unchangeable no matter how painful it was still in her heart. Amakusa was friendly, _it would be nice to welcome him as a teammate_- her thoughts came to a standstill. Amakusa was standing there but why was there blood spatters dotting her cheek? Confused, she looked to the other officers all in a black-clad circle fanned out around her, faces tense, hands reaching for their Zanpaku-to hilts and then...they fell apart into many pieces.

Rukia watched Shimizu's head slide from her shoulders, face still caught forever in alertness. With effort, she turned to Amakusa again, believing in that instant he'd been spared like her. Why did he still smile so? She was on the verge of chastising his lack of gravity when his body suddenly lifted up, the huge pincer of a spider protruding from his chest.

_So silent_.

Rukia stumbled back, almost tripping over the pieces of another Squad member. Part of her wanted to scream, deny everything that was happening around her. _It was ...was like...that time with Kaien_. Her hand though shaking badly, grasped the hilt of her sword, withdrawing it as the ground shook from the weight of the huge creature dropping from the tree. Her eyes passed over it, barely seeing the hideous black streaks covering the white body, the furred underbelly, the many protuberant red eyes rolling then suddenly fixating on her as the last officer still alive.

She didn't want to fight it.

_No...she knew she couldn't fight it_.

Ulquiorra's voice floated through her mind then.

Hadn't he said once not to be fighting against something stronger than her? At the time she had been irritated at his lack of belief in her. Now, she swallowed her fear trying not to believe he'd been right all along.

She wasn't strong but that didn't she couldn't try.

"Ye lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! On the wall of blue flame, inscribe a twin lotus. In the abyss of conflagration, wait at the far heavens!" Rukia chanted swiftly, energy gathering at her fingertips. At the last second she let the blue blast go in the creature's face. "Hado 73! Sōren Sōkatsui!"

She started running.

...

_Why am I the one to survive?_ The forest wended around her, conflicted, tormented like her thoughts. A cold wind whipped the branches, snaring them in her robes, hair. Rukia swatted violently at their holds, suppressing the scream in her throat; a Hollow screeched in the not far distance.

_Too close_.

_I have to call for help_. Even as her mind formulated the sensible thought, her hand reached for the communicator looped through her sash. Her fingers closed on empty air. A wave of hopelessness crashed over her. _I must've...dropped it_. Every step felt labored, her legs ached already from the swift run.

_I'm going to_...Her last thought never finished. A shadow whiter than the darkness fell over her, a warm arm snaked around her middle, Rukia's feet left the ground. Sideways, disoriented she watched the forest slant; a familiar voice in cold earth-shattering tones came from above.

"Trash." He intoned as the Hollows burst into the clearing.

Rukia's eyes filled. _Why...why are you always the one to save me, Ulquiorra? _

The slaughter began.

-TBC

AN: Finally know where I'm going with this story!

No flames!

Reviews loved


	20. Chapter 20

The forest glade was silent.

The leaves dripped blood.

"Put me down." She ordered calmly though she was anything but. A slow slide to her feet and she couldn't even look at him. Ulquiorra slipped his clean hand into the pocket of the white hakama, the other dripped blood from slender fingers like the leaves.

For some reason, Rukia wanted to cry when she glimpsed the torn pieces.

The Hollows slaughtered Thirteenth's new surveyor team.

He slaughtered the Hollows.

_Where did that leave her? I was supposed to die...avenging my comrades deaths-!_ That fact was inescapable in her mind. She was a survivor like with Kaien. He died while she lived, such a bitter thing the memory was replaying over and over like a broken record. Rukia gripped her tiny fists so hard they hurt, felt the tears she so desperately wanted to hide, leak out traitorously from the corners of her eyes.

_Why can't I forget you?_

Ulquiorra never moved even when she chose to break their immobility.

Her hand was still upraised, her palm having connected to the cold porcelain mask of his expressionless face, stung faintly. Slight redness lingered on the pale flesh from her strike, Rukia felt a sense of accomplishment in the action.

"Why did you leave me?" she demanded harshly, ever aware of the raw desperation in her voice. Slowly, his lifted a pale hand (the bloodstained one), touching the place where she had struck him. "There were others approaching, I believed you would be in better hands with those of your own kind."

_Logical_, the passing thought went through her mind.

Her heart denied it.

"Stupid!" Rukia yelled, grasping fistfuls of his jacket and shaking, "I.."

_I never wanted to be parted from you._

_- I_...

_We were fine together- I was fine with you, what more did I need except to be taken from you and forced to return into a world where you can never belong? _But, she couldn't speak those words, only yelling them in her mind where he couldn't see, couldn't hear.

It wasn't as though he could understand her pain anyway.

"You're so stupid..." her voice broke, her eyes welled with tears. Almost angrily, she thrust him away and turned her back to him, forcing the stinging, salty liquid to disappear. "Stupid! Stupid fool! I-" Rukia spun around, her fists clenching. She wanted to say something, anything to hurt him. To make him feel her pain- but it choked off. Wide-eyed she took in the sight of the tall man bearing a sword aloft and the eerie smile of the other behind him.

"Ai-Aizen-Taichou? I..Ulqui-Ulquiorra! Get away from here!"

"You were watching?" He ignored her, green eyes slanting to the side.

"For a short while." Aizen admitted cheerfully enough, "Szayelaporro was suspicious of your actions and sent word to me immediately when your Zanpaku-to was left in place of you in your room. I must admit that was a fairly intelligent ruse, seeing as your sword possesses the same reiatsu signature to thereby confuse anyone who might be keeping watch on you."

Though she hadn't a clue as to what Aizen referenced, she knew she didn't like his nor Ichimaru's proximity. They were Taichou class and Shinigami, at any moment they could choose to decimate Ulquiorra right before her eyes. Rukia's fingers tightened reflexively. -and why in the hell was he just standing there so expressionlessly?

Taking action had never been her strong suit. Even with her history of incompetence and failures in the past she knew she just couldn't let - _anything_ - happen to him. She drew her sword. With the flash of silver, she thought of Byakuya and her Taichou, she thought of Kiyone's attempts to get her settled in - they were all for naught weren't they? It was hardly a regret, a faint hint of remorse for betraying their expectations, but she could hardly care when Aizen tilted his head at her, the light catching his glasses in a particular glint.

"What are you doing, Kuchiki-san?"

Even Ichimaru was observing her with a stilted smile. If she hadn't any doubts about what they were planning on doing they were erased now. Rukia caught the glint of a responding sword in the silver-haired man's hand. The whole moment seemed frozen, she between a silently watching Ulquiorra and the two Shinigami Taichous.

..._doing what my heart wants_.

Her first swing went awry. Ichimaru's sword became a lightning fast lance of light, bouncing sharply off her blade with almost enough force to send it flying from her hands. Rukia was barely able to keep a grip on it, charging in low. She wasn't foolish enough to think that she would land a hit, she glimpsed Aizen's faint smile before he simply vanished, reappearing to the side to let Ichimaru have a clean shot. Angling to the left, she pressed two fingers up over the hilt of her sword, "Shakkoho Red flame cannon!"

Ichimaru merely glanced off the red kido blast. Smirking in a way that made her skin crawl. "Ne, Rukia-chan? What's this? Attacking a superior officer for.." the pause in his sentence came as they directly clashed. Rukia wished desperately Ulquiorra would snap out of whatever analysis his mind was contemplating and get the hell out of there. Aizen-taichou preferred to stand on the sidelines and watch, but for how long she did not know. Rukia knew instinctively, being so close to Ichimaru that his reiatsu was denser, thicker than hers. At best she could feel the subtle pressure of it like an electrifying tingle of horror build up. He made her skin crawl even with the determination burning in her veins. _The question was how long could she hold him off?_

"...a Hollow?" Ichimaru finished with a light lilt that could've passed for amusement in any other. Rukia saw it as mockery, anger twisted her expression as she ruthlessly countered back. Ichimaru's swing that could've easily decapitated her, went high, Rukia shaken though she was by his skill, unnerved by his presence saw her opening anyway.

She charged forward almost blindly, thanking her diminutive size just then as her blade with a dull _shunk_ sound, sunk deeply through Ichimaru's ribcage. The Taichou of Third exhaled sharply, blood streamed out over her clenched hands, staining the white haori coat.

From not far away, Aizen-taichou's surprise came out softly. "Oh my."

Just that. Rukia leapt back to a safer distance, taking up stance again. It was not a fatal wound however it would slow him down. Speculatively eyeing the silver-haired man's almost astonishment touching his wound and his hand coming away slick with lifeblood, she quickly decided it would be better to end it while his guard was down...never mind the consequences later. She had already dismissed them when she had first attacked a superior officer. She was only briefly amazed that she was still alive at this point.

"Ya cut me, Rukia-chan..." Ichimaru had raised his bloody hand closer to his face as if amazed that there was actual blood staining his long pale fingers. "Ya actually _did_."

_Stabbed you, you fool_. Her thoughts couldn't resist jeering. Then she moved before her fake courage could die a slow death in the anxiety-ridden depths of her mind. Rukia hated indecisiveness, her weakness. She wanted to protect Ulquiorra the way he protected her - but Ichimaru was a Taichou, he countered swifter than her, his spear of light arcing off the ground in a shaft of carefully controlled power - then he pierced her with it.

She felt every second of the light transforming into a thin blade. Inches really, a half step before delivering the full weight of her lunge and laying bare his torso to spill its gory secrets, she remained tauntingly _inches_ away from her goal, suspended _inches_ off the ground by Shinso.

Ichimaru chuckled softly, his damnable smile reaching new heights of malicious amusement at her predicament. Rukia could only growl and struggle weakly, her blood dripping off the silver sword.

"What can I say, Rukia-chan? You should've thought, " he dared to lift a spidery thin-fingered hand and flick her nose, "before actin'." She gritted her teeth to suppress the urge to snap that he could stuff his wisdom where the sun never shined. Ichimaru tilted his sharp chin at an angle, looking past her to the sound of a step.

"Now, 'Kyorra-kun...your turn is coming."

Rukia froze, her struggles ceasing. Her body felt cold all over like ice had replaced all the blood in her body with ice-tainted crimson. Her violet eyes narrowed then widened, fixating on his narrow fox face and thin lips forming those hateful words.

I've been looking forward to playing with you for a very long time..."

The ice gave her strength.

"Shi-Shirafune!" Rukia choked out, breathing in shallow shards of ice. The hand she raised, gripped Sode no Shirayuki's hilt infallibly, the tip sunk shallowly into the upper part of Ichimaru's chest. His narrow, slit-eye glance wandered down to it almost amazed, then a smile broke out on his face along with the crackling burst of ice from the frozen sword.

Rukia felt herself fall backward, body limp from blood loss and even then, the ice numbing her pain. The sky tilted in a slant, a subtle noise from Ulquiorra, a calculated exhalation of air from Aizen-taichou and the crackle of speed.

Her back never touched the ground. Her mind registered who it was somehow without surprise even before stormy grey eyes and messy dark brown hair came into sight.

"Stark," Aizen-taichou acknowledged with a dangerous note. "I recall ordering you to observe not approach."

The Shinigami - was he even that? Said nothing at first, wrapping strong, capable arms around her back, then under her legs. She felt limp, barely able to feel her breaths leave her nose, her chest heaving with the effort. She forced her head up, her gaze unwavering from Aizen-taichou's. The man was barely readable at that moment. His brown eyes slanting from the iced over remains of Gin Ichimaru to her then to the side. For the briefest of seconds she had the distinct feeling he had not planned on this- on her partial victory. Rukia could barely believe it herself, barely conscious of the consequences of killing a Taichou meant.

_Execution_ -

Aizen-taichou's sudden, vague smile distracted her from her thoughts.

"Whatever shall you do, Kuchiki-san?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" she snapped, refusing to back down even for an instant. His look was mocking, tone caressing. "You've murdered a Taichou of the Thirteen Court Guards. You have at least two witnesses, one a Taichou and the method of his demise was unmistakably caused by your weapon."

"As if I'd try to hide my guilt!"

"Oh?

She had never known the kindly man to harbor such maliciousness. Such calculating cruelty reflected in molasses brown eyes. Rukia felt something in her chest fall, a plummeting, sinking sensation that made her feel sick as enlightenment dawned.

"What do you..._want_?" she breathed, unflinching even as he stepped closer, hand lifting and reaching out. "You've taken life, Kuchiki-san. So now you must give-"

She didn't like how his malevolent gaze rested on her, capturing her eyes in a fierce battle of domination. "What the fuck are you-" deep inside she felt her desperation rising, her fear of the unknown. Ulquiorra hadn't moved, his expression never changing from a vague detached glare focused somewhere above her. Stark- she realized. It was as if he was ignorant of the fact that Aizen-taichou and Ichimaru-taichou (previously) were his mortal enemies. Or were they- ? As Rukia struggled to wrap her mind around the fact that Ulquiorra - her mind longed to label him with a possessive pronoun -_my_- Ulquiorra could be aligned with a Shinigami - but for what purpose?

Aizen-taichou had reached her.

Stark tensed behind her.

"Put me down." Rukia ordered faintly, sounding distant to her own ears. She barely trusted her legs to hold her up, but counted on the power of her sword to keep herself from bleeding out, from falling over with the frigid coldness permeating already the outer layer of her shihakusho. Stark hesitated for a moment then gently let her slide down to her feet, stepping back as he did so. The difference was immediate without his presence. Rukia felt the cold more acutely but somehow managed to not shiver when her head turned up to regard the solemn Shinigami.

"I asked you what you wanted from me." She said carefully, her eyes violet flints. "More or less, what do you propose?"

Aizen-taichou smiled down at her. "Gin was a useful pawn to me and my game. You, my dear, Kuchiki-san must rectify his loss. Now how you do so, remains entirely up to you." His hands appeared on her shoulders. Rukia hadn't seen him move. She disliked his touch immediately. Aizen-taichou's voice curled softly in her eardrums, a pleasant velvet like smooth undulating chocolate. It was the voice of a snake and she knew it.

"Think about it. Your existence ended at the edge of execution and judgment for becoming a murderess or..." he trailed off delicately, molding her limp body with his hands, both of them turning at the same time to Ulquiorra's stationary form. He had barely moved, barely seemed a touch out of place amongst the wild green verdure of the forest. The only thing marring his perfection was the blood staining one hand and his porcelain cheek.

She stifled the quiet sob arising in her throat. Aizen's warm breath melted the icy surface of her skin as he knelt low beside her, his voice meant for her alone. "Think of it in this way, Kuchiki-san. A Hollow slaughtered Thirteenth's team...a Hollow that you alone destroyed." His fingers felt like vises, curling around her chin, forcing her eyes open, her gaze to fixate solely on the Arrancar. "That Hollow could be _Ulquiorra_."

She struggled weakly.

His breath was a warm chuckle against the shell of her ear.

"If you wish to preserve his existence then you will _obey_ me."

"What?" Rukia bit out, her head twisting in his hold to glance sharply at his smirking profile.

"You will take Ichimaru's place, dear Kuchiki-san. As adopted sister of the great Byakuya Kuchiki only recently returned to the clan, your inside knowledge should prove worthy as well as your assistance-"

"In what!" She hated the way her voice trembled, the way her body threatened to shake. _Here she was again betraying her race, her old life - for- for- _

"In retrieving the Hogyoku." Aizen-taichou said simply as if everything were made clear by the mention of something she had never heard of before. "So do you accept?" His piercing look returned in full force, his chocolate brown eyes staring into hers with a soul-baring intensity that Rukia trembled at. She despised that tiny show of weakness, teeth sinking down into her bottom lip hard.

_She had to know_...

"Will I be able to see.._him_ whenever I want?" Her voice came out barely above a whisper. Aizen smirked at the tiny flush rising to her cheeks; _she wanted to be selfish for once_. "Certainly. All I ask, Kuchiki Rukia-san...is for your full cooperation and obedience."

_It sounded like a death knell to whatever was left of her old life before Hueco Mundo - before Ulquiorra_.

This time when he stepped back and offered his hand, she accepted it.

* * *

As per the norm, reports in the living world rarely circulated around the Divisions, unless they happened to be of the anomalous kind. Or simply the area he had isolated for his scrutiny in the mortal world. The tiny town Rukia had been found in.

The weekly report of the Shinigami stationed there, reached his desk. Abarai brought it in as soon as it had reached the appropriate Division, Byakuya's gaze slanted away from the eyes of Rukia's childhood friend. Such bonds weren't meant to be maintained. With that thought in mind, he sent Abarai out on a menial errand, preferring to peruse the rambling report of one Kuromadani assigned to Karakura town, in private.

His eyes skimmed the usual few Hollow sightings until a date specific to the prior week. A night in which Kuromadani had gone in search of a Hollow in the downtown area and discovered upon reaching the site, an orange-haired male with a sword as tall as he was and dressed in black robes...

* * *

-To be Continued

AN: thank you for reading! (sorry for killing Gin off):

No flames!

Reviews loved! :) and motivate the writer to write faster~!


	21. Chapter 21

Every motion confirmed what his pesquisa suggested. Rukia had grown subtly stronger. A most curious development for he had recognized with his own eyes her limitations...was it perhaps determination that strengthened her hand? Her sword?

_Giving her the power to move and counter a seated Shinigami high above her?_

Whatever the case was, Ulquiorra reassessed her skill level higher than he had previously set it as. Rukia was proving thus far to be a specimen of a specific kind. A rare being that peaked his interest from the beginning - to this moment, she had not failed his expectations. He had no desire to see her blood spilt needlessly however and Ichimaru's gain of ground was becoming disconcerting.

One hand slipped from his pocket.

The Shinigami Taichou teased her now, feeding her lines that made her body react, her power flare in icy waves as she dealt one last blow.

"Shirafune."

Aizen caught his eye and subtly shook his head in the negative. Ulquiorra paused, hesitating for a brief second as a fifth being intruded. Reiatsu masked perfectly by the Gigai, he could almost admire the craft of Szayelaporro had the scientist not been so ..fruity. _Distastefully so_. Ulquiorra chose to disregard his thought line as trivial and fixate a subtle glower in the Primera's wake.

Stark did what Aizen forbade, catch her as she fell.

He knew he should not have felt anything - least of all a disquieting burning sensation in the pit of his being. Like with everything he observed, he isolated it aside from any other sensations such as sight-taste-touch-hearing...probing that other thing, cautiously.

There was no logical explanation for it.

...

Rukia felt almost outside herself, watching the body of the man that had tormented her in the past vanish. Aizen had looked none the least sorrowed at his cohort's death and politely – if that could even be countenanced with his actions, perhaps kindly, asked if her injuries bothered her?

She knew very well that they did and were in fact stained with Ichimaru's reiatsu, she could feel it herself in the bloody gashes that made it hurt to move let alone breathe. "I'm fine, thank you." She replied coldly, averting her face to hide the fact that she bitten down on her lip. Once the majority of the danger had passed, the adrenaline that had kept the pain at bay receded leaving her in a whole lot of pain. She supposed too from the damp quality of her shihakusho, it was a mixture of blood and melting ice as well that contributed to her general discomfort.

To her surprise, Ulquiorra spoke. The slight hint of a command in his tone irritating her.

"No, you must receive medical attention, preferably not by the Shinigami. The wounds are too obvious in that they weren't dealt by a Hollow."

_Who did he think he was, bossing her around? _

Aizen observed him with an inscrutable expression. "Hm, I agree. Perhaps it would be best if Szayelaporro took care of Kuchiki-san for now."

Stark glanced at her and yawned, "shall I accompany her, Aizen-sama?"

Rukia caught a fleeting glare sent to the chestnut-haired _Shini- Arrancar_ by emerald eyes. Intercepting a reply from the Fifth company Taichou, Ulquiorra coolly replied, "that will not be necessary." Stark shrugged, eyeing the waves of animosity- or was it her imagination? Ulquiorra finally broke stares and turned to her, motioning for her to follow. She glanced at Aizen whom nodded, wearing a vaguely amused look. She wasn't sure what he found so amusing about the situation. Forcing herself to walk steady, she approached him and watched as he ran his fingertips along the atmosphere like she remembered.

It took all her strength to keep on walking steady to pass through ahead of him. She was damned if she was going to let him walk ahead and her behind! "I will bring her back within the hour," he informed Aizen before the portal sealed shut. She had moved on ahead and missed the response he received for Ulquiorra soon replied quieter.

"I understand."

Understand what? As infuriating as it was when he wasn't the most talkative male around – even Stark talked more when he wasn't sleeping his lazy ass off—Rukia stopped her mental tirade, pausing in the middle of the reishii path she'd created. Had she just compared Stark to Ulquiorra? As ridiculous as it was, they had very little in common. She let out a tiny huff, irritated that she had wasted even a thought about the male species as a whole.

His voice came from behind her.

"Why have you stopped?"

"No reason!" she snapped, stalking forward for emphasis, only to _almost_ trip over her own feet. His quiet sigh caused an irritating flush to creep up, one she averted her face to the ground to hide.

"Do you require assistance?"

"No!" and forcibly trudged on. It wasn't good for her pride to keep blushing like that and even less for a few minutes later to almost trip again. This time it was her lack of focus that had warped the path and made it uneven. With a faint cry of annoyance, her sandal caught and she nearly went down save for the sudden pull on the back of her sash.

"Do not deny when you require assistance, Rukia." He said quietly, without a sweat fixing the path ahead with his own strength. She watched the remainder thicken and solidify with envy. He had done a much better job than her. To disguise it, she sniffed, "put me down."

"No." Ulquiorra said flatly, brooking no argument.

She recognized his tone but still struggled with the way she was carried at his side by the sash of her hakama. "Put me down, you idiot! It's gonna tear! You—" she promptly shut up once her body was gracefully and swiftly lifted up and pressed against a slender torso. Her glower was reserved for the white expanse beneath her hands.

The only thing lacking was the beat of his heart.

"Were you…worried about me?" Though it went against her coda as a warrior to wish for the concern of another, she was curious as to what his reply would be.

"No. It was only logical to let you fight your own fight when I was positive you could handle it."

"Oh." Then as the atmosphere in the tunnel began to lighten, meaning it was near its end, she dared to lean against his shoulder, nestling her head in the crook of his neck. It was slightly uncomfortable given the long sheet of bone helmet pressing against her forehead, but Rukia chose to ignore it for the sake of his nearness.

There were so many unanswered questions, _her own state of loyalty on the line as she wondered what sort of deal she had made...was Aizen-Taichou a traitor to Soul Society? Why was he allied with - seemingly commanding Ulquiorra and Stark - and Stark...was he really an Arrancar? _

She sensed the darkness petering out, giving way to a lighter shade of grey. Ulquiorra's step echoed quietly against stone; her head lifted to find the dimensional portal sealing shut behind them, leaving them in a vast white hallway.

"Where...where are we?" Though instinctively she wasn't afraid, the place itself bore no recollection of any kind in her memory, even more than that, she could sense quite a few high level reiatsus spread out in their vicinity. Ulquiorra calmly turned and begun striding up the corridor, replying, "Las Noches. The Octava's palace is not far."

Rukia found that brought up more questions that she was sure he would find either annoying or impertinent. As accomplice...now, to whatever Aizen-Taichou had planned, she figured she'd know everything sooner or later - though it annoyed her greatly to proceed in the proverbial dark. His voice once again intruded upon her thought process.

"Refrain from sleep."

She made a childish face at the order, muttering tersely, "hai, Taichou." She could tell he didn't get it, chuckling under her breath in amusement. "It's an expression, Ulquiorra."

At length they proceeded up the corridor, his sigh soft yet echoing still in the vastness of the space. "I'll never understand you, Shinigami."

That just made her smile.

...

The approaching reiatsu did nothing to soothe Szayel's nerves. He could only wonder if this conundrum he and his _brilliant brain_ were in, was a result of immediately letting Aizen-sama know of the Cuatro's unscheduled excursion.

_Ulquiorra was going to be very pissed off_. Szayel went as far as to putter about his lab restlessly, making half a will of sorts before deeming it inappropriate seeing as he was an evolved Hollow. The quiet echo of footsteps - closer, made him jerk his head up in surprise, plastering a fake clinical smile on his face as if he hadn't been just considering bolting Las Noches.

"Why hello there, Ulquiorra. What can I-" he blinked owlishly. At the sound of his voice, a black-clad bundle had shifted in Ulquiorra's thin arms, struggling to turn about and present a small blood-streaked face to him. This time he couldn't suppress his smile of _manic_ glee.

"Ah, yes! You must be Kuchiki-san?"

The Cuatro impassively watched him, adding as he strode to the nearest examination table to deposit the girl, "she is not for.._experimentation_."

Szayel's smile froze, his twitching hands stopped itching to take up the nearest scalpel to begin dissection. "Ah...no. Of course not." He relaxed some as his imminent doom seemed to have not been approaching on silent wings. "She seems to be...wounded?"

Ulquiorra's back was to him, the tails ends of the white jacket swishing as he turned. "Yes." The Cuatro assented, stepping back to present the girl seated at the edge of the table. It was clear from her pinched expression the amount of pain she was in. Szayel went forward, passing a cursory eye over her external injuries. After a long moment, he glanced to the silent Espada, curiosity in his tone. "Ichimaru's reiatsu?" Through his pesquisa, he could sense the lingering remnants of it lacing her wounds along with the materializations of ice that had stopped most of the massive bleeding.

Ulquiorra assented once more - without words. Yet before he could enunciate further, the girl spoke up, not a trace of pride in her tone. "Ichimaru is dead..I killed him."

Szayel's thin pink brows flew up high to his hairline, his mouth relaxing softly into a smile. "Really now?"

Her violet eyes sent him a challenging stare.

He shrugged and snapped his fingers, yelling over his shoulder. "Lumina! Verona! Get in here!" Familiar squeaks then shuffling sounds came from the interconnecting archway leading to a deeper part of his palace; satisfied, he turned back to her, withdrawing a pair of latex gloves from a pocket. "Don't worry, Kuchiki-san. We'll get you fixed up in no time..."

...

Within a surprisingly short space of time, the pain had receded, leaving only sore muscles and caked on blood staining her uniform. Rukia grimaced at that but guessed it would serve everyone's purpose for her to appear as if she had - fought Hollows. Bearing that in mind, she glanced at Ulquiorra's back - to her request, which the pink nutjob had snickered at, Ulquiorra had politely turned away when she had been forced to _undress_.

"All done." Szayelaporro chirruped a little too gleefully for her taste. Rukia glowered, tugging her kimono back into proper alignment. "You can turn around, Ulquiorra." she called, still glaring at the scientist when he moved away to dispose of the styptic supplies. She was unsure of why something fluttered in her stomach though she had not eaten anything since a light meal in the morning which was hours before, nor why she suddenly felt hesitant under the weight of his intense gaze.

None of it suited her, that she refused on. Meeting his emerald eyes wishing she could read the thoughts passing through his head at any given moment. Somehow neither of them noticed Szayel's approach. Dimly she was aware the scientist was asking if there was anything else needed?

She tried to form a coherent sentence, reluctantly dragging her eyes from the Arrancar's. "No, I-I'm fine, thank you."

Szayelaporro just nodded absently and rocked on his heels. She half-expected him to start twirling around - to complete the picture. Contrary to her expectations, he didn't, rather Ulquiorra drew closer into her line of sight. "You are fully healed?"

"Yes."

"Of course she is!" Szayelaporro preened, "what do you take me for? A half-baked scientist! No no! On the contrary I am sufficient as well in the healing arts!"

Ulquiorra's gaze slid to the pink-haired Arrancar who immediately paled, seeming to shrink down perceptibly under the withering look. Glad she was not receiving the attention of those eyes, she was still somewhat awed over the fear he was able to inspire in those around him. "You require a wound-"

"Why?" It flew out automatically before she had even thought about it.

He gave her look that made it clear he questioned her intelligence. Annoyed by it, she scowled at him, daring him to come any closer. Ulquiorra regarded her stance silently for a moment - as though he were trying to figure out an intriguing puzzle.

Lips pursing, she gradually relaxed her crossed arms, still attempting to read his thoughts. Szayelaporro hovered off to the side muttering to himself as he scribbled furiously on a pad of paper. She had the oddest notion the scientist was recording their interactions - Ulquiorra disregarded the other and slipped a pale white hand from his left pocket. She watched it approach her tentatively, a strange hesitance in his manner.

When the fingertips reached her, they lightly slid along her chin. Such contact was rare between her and - anyone at all, so much so that she flinched the tiniest bit, catching a flicker of something pass through the opaque green like a shadow. Her throat tightened, she had the vague notion of apologizing - _wanting to_ - yet unable to find the words for something she was unsure of.

"Ulquiorra.." she trailed off, feeling coldness brush against her skin when his fingertips withdrew. Some part of her longed - no, that didn't encompass the sensation she felt, nor describe it in anyway. Floundering adrift in her confusion, she felt more than saw his hand descend lower, hovering at the line of her white collar.

"Surely you're not suggesting-" Szayelaporro inquired loudly from nearby, incredulity dripping from his high-pitched tone.

"This does not concern you, Octava." He spoke coolly, precisely. The graze of his fingertips against the sensitive flesh of her throat _burned_ wherever they touched."This resides only between she and I."

The Arrancar scientist seemed suitably offended at the dismissal, huffing to no one in particular, Szayelaporro turned on his heel and sashayed off. "Hah! I know when I've been insulted!"

That they both chose to ignore.

The tension remained profuse, a sense of expectation heightened the air. Rukia could almost taste it, scent something between them, a change perhaps brought about by her choice. Though she could not whole-heartedly embrace her slaying of Ichimaru Gin, she couldn't feel entire regret...not when it had brought her to this moment.

She wanted to grasp it, feel it tangible in her hands- this unnamable thing - simultaneously afraid to destroy it with her confusion. She had not asked for anything but was only too accepting to have whatever he offered.

"Ulquiorra...?" she prompted with more assurance in her being as a state of its own. She wouldn't flinch from this soulless creature, nor avert her gaze from staring into the void of his eyes. The thought occurred to her to take up his hand and clasp it within the tiny prison of her own, but feared the action was too bold to be undertaken. They had rarely initiated contact with one another, even she could glimpse flickers like light passing through the impenetrable depths of his eyes. Sparks of hesitation, curiosity.._heat_.

Rukia suppressed the shudder it evoked, aware of the implications of following such a course. At that point she could not say whether she was disappointed when the flicker left her captivated sight, unsure of her own yet evolving wish to follow the twisted path of _pleasure_ it promised. Her lips suddenly dry, her tongue darted out to wet them, in the process drawing a slant of interest from emerald eyes above.

A tint of flush blossomed on her pale cheeks. Feeling its arrival, she tried to break eye contact, cursing her awkwardness, when the lift of his other hand snaked out, capturing her jaw line. A touch lacking subtle gentleness, lead her head back around. Now when she risked a peek to his impassive visage, she glimpsed a newer understanding reflected in his green orbs.

Her heart started pounding faster.

"Ulquiorra.."

He said nothing at first, dipping his raven head lower, severe elegance in very motion as he cupped her face to cease all motion. Rukia's breaths came out shorter, something about his proximity causing her heart to beat wildly like a caged bird in her chest, she felt faint and very much awake at the same time.

Then - then, she could see no more. His bi-colored lips hovered a hairsbreadth away, whispering words meant for only her to hear.

"I alone have the right to wound you from now on."

...

Rukia knew she was the perfect actress.

_"Kuchiki-san, you must have been so frightened!"_

_"Kuchiki-san was so brave!"_

On and on it went.

She doled looks of understanding, tremulous smiles, even tiredness to Unohana-Taichou. The motherly healer was the hardest to deceive yet released her - without making her stay the night simply to fuss over the remaining member of the surveyor team. If anyone thought it was a repeat of Thirteenth's misfortune, they thought it best not to speak it in her presence.

For that, Rukia was glad of. Sympathy ran high for them as well as for she. She did not want to be under fastidious care, preferring to be free to wander the streets of Seireitei as the moon rose across an inky cloudless sky.

Her thoughts were her only company for a time, passing through the walled boulevards like a shadow. Rukia kept to the safer areas, avoiding the well-lit bars with the reek of alcohol pouring from them. She stayed in silence, wrapped in darkness...thinking.

Aizen-Taichou had been gone by the time Ulquiorra had returned her bearing a fresh wound to the bloody clearing. Stark had eyed it but said in a monotone the rest of her orders.

_She was to send an urgent message by soul pager requesting help_ -

Rukia had watched Ulquiorra disappear through the portal, somehow emptier with the lack of his presence. She had shored herself up with Stark -until he had been forced to melt away into the forest with the arrival of the first responders, relieved in a strange way that the air had been cleared. _He was not a Shinigami - he was the same as Ulquiorra. _

_How could she be afraid of the lazy jerk?_

Reminiscing alone, she basked in the light of the moon, absently reaching a hand up to touch the bandage hidden beneath the collar of her kimono. Unohana-Taichou had given her a strange look when she had asked to not be healed thoroughly. Rukia supposed it was an odd request, thankfully one the woman had said nothing more on.

Searching fingers dug a little further past the fabric, wincing once the gauze patch was discovered. It would scar, of that she was sure. It would be the first mark - tangible - true proof that Ulquiorra was a presence in her life. With those thoughts in mind, she failed to hear someone approach until they came upon her.

"Mah, hello, Rukia-chan!"

The manner of greeting was familiar - as was the chill it evoked. She spun about, her heart in her throat. "G-Gin Ichimaru?" Out from the shadows of the L-shaped section of the road, a familiar fox-face loomed. She started back, hand shooting for her waist only to encounter thin air. Rukia remembered then that she had left Sode no Shirayuki at Thirteenth's barracks. She cursed her foolishness as the apparition leered closer -

"What's a matter, Rukia-chan? Long time no see, eh?"

At that, her brow quirked, her shaking ceased. There was something not quite right about his statement. As she warily shuffled back to let him have clear passage to the road, she mumbled, "yes, it...has. Have a ...goodnight, Ichimaru-Taichou."

The thin figure strolled on by, tossing off a backward wave as he went, a Sake jug tucked beneath one arm. Rukia bit her lip hard enough to draw blood, forcing herself to look after his retreating figure to make sure her eyes weren't deceiving her - when she did, her heart skipped a beat at the sight that she saw.

...

A few lights still shone in the windows of Fifth Division. Rukia hastily made her way to the entrance, rapping harder than usual. For a long moment as light footsteps echoed behind the panel she thought about what she had seen and endeavored to gain a semblance of composure before the door slid back to reveal a faintly surprised Hinamori Momo.

"Oh? Kuchiki-san? Is there something I can help you with?"

Rukia dimly wondered staring at the timorous-voiced girl if she knew anything of what Aizen Sosuke was - or was capable of. In the end she forced a smile to her lips. "May I speak to Aizen-Taichou...it's ah something rather confidential."

Hinamori's smile dipped then returned with full pale force, "o-oh, of course!"

Somehow the girl's manner put Rukia on edge. She was just too soft, too innocent looking with large brown eyes like a frightened doe's. Being let into the homey confines of Fifth's outer shell, Rukia felt her teeth grate at Hinamori's sweetness. It was simply too much at odds with the interior she had seen of Aizen Sosuke.

"Ah well, Aizen-taichou is in his office...shall I see if he'll talk to-"

"No!" Rukia said more forcefully than she had meant, retracting with a small shake of her head. "No, he knows I'm coming, see...I..was expected to." It was all of course a lie, a fairly blatant one at that but Hinamori simply beamed and lead the way. "Oh, alright. Follow me."

Rukia's unease only grew with each step closer to the inner door. The slight buzz of Aizen's reiatsu grew steadily stronger until Hinamori rapped timidly, "sir, Kuchiki Rukia-san is here to see you."

The faint sounds of a quill scratching parchment faded into silence. Aizen's quiet baritone followed cheerfully, "show her in."

Hinamori slid the door open, stepping aside to let Rukia pass in. Behind his desk, Aizen sat, a fine brush paused in long fingers. Her gaze unaccountably strayed to his face seeing a kindly bespectacled man before her - not the cruel leader of a Hollow band, watching with amusement as she fought his subordinate. For a moment Rukia felt sick, almost believing it had been a mistake to venture so close to the man - then forcibly stopped herself from backing up. Pasting a smile on her face, she advanced to his desk, her courage a false front.

"We have a few matters to discuss. Sir." She couldn't keep the accusing bite from her tone, sensing poor Hinamori look bewildered from her precious Taichou to the barely veiled animosity radiating from Rukia.

His cool brown eyes lost some of their warmth, meeting -clashing with hers, she refused to back down an inch from her stance. At length he nodded absently, "..yes, we have indeed, Kuchiki-san." An element of tension descended between them, veiled amusement glinted in his gaze, indolent grace followed his dismissive gesture in Hinamori's direction.

"If I recall there was...something that needed to be attended to?"

The girl fidgeted, twisting her hands. "But...wouldn't you like some fresh tea, sir?"

Pity surged anew for the Fukutaichou, the longer Rukia observed Aizen.

"No, thank you, Hinamori-chan. Kuchiki-san won't be staying very long." He said softly, breaking gazes with her, to send a note of finality to the girl standing awkwardly in the doorway.

"Oh..okay." The girl's disappointment was as sharp as knife blade. Eventually the door slid shut _gently_, plunging the room into deep silence.

Rukia waited until Hinamori's footsteps and reiatsu had quite faded before blurting out, "Ichimaru is dead- isn't he?"

Aizen leaned back in his chair, a smirk playing on the ends of his lips. Her gaze dropped to them - unable to stop herself from the tiny motion. Immediately upon glimpsing his amusement, she thumped her fist down hard on his desk, "what the hell is so funny, Aizen?"

"Nothing, Kuchiki-san." He seemed unperturbed by her act of violence. "Merely that your reactions ...amuse me. You see - yet you do not believe. You are...quite perceptive, I'll give you that much." He watched her pale look through narrowed eyes. "Like...the slight of a hand." Aizen murmured, leaning subtly forward. Rukia blinked as the teasing caress of the bristles from his brush fanned across her lips.

Before her startled eyes, he had halfway risen, leaned across the space between them in the blink of an eye. Instead of the calligraphy brush... his breath a mixture of green tea and something indefinable gusted softly across her mouth.

She started back, raising a hand to wipe at her tingling lips. The image before her blurred - and he was sitting, leaning back like formerly, smiling fully now at her confusion and sudden anger. "You...what the hell...did you do?" she breathed, her body threatening to shake. Feeling her own weakness, Rukia immediately clamped down on it, stilling her motions, her furious gaze resting on his subtle head shake.

"Nothing...Kuchiki-san. Nothing at all."

She felt a simultaneous dismissal as though he had spoken all that he'd had to say on the matter. Still shaken inwardly, Rukia turned on her heel, forsaking any civilities. Aizen's quiet voice came to her at the door.

"Ichimaru was killed by you, Kuchiki-san. If it makes you ...sleep any better."

She had stiffened initially, her hand hovering above the panel to the door.

"With all due respect, Aizen-taichou." She slid it back forcefully. "It doesn't." and left to the sound of his soft chuckle.

...

She slept fitfully that night, dismissing the maids attentiveness at the Kuchiki compound. Distantly she sensed her brother's reiatsu in his private wing - so he was home, she thought, filing it away. Then as she slipped into her inner bedchamber, laughed hollowly at her own self. Home? The Kuchiki mansion was no more home than the air she breathed.

Morning came on the heels of bitten off warmth. Sunshine spilled slants onto the floorboards of her room, doors to the veranda thoughtfully slitted by a maid to allow freshness in. Rukia felt nothing from the light, shivering as she drew her thin covers closer to her chest. As she sat there wondering what had awoken her, she glimpsed a tiny flitter of black hovering at the corner of her eye.

She blinked and rubbed bleariness from her eyes, refocusing to see a jigokucho flitter closer to her face, arcing in black and orange flashes - impatiently. She couldn't quell the unpleasant sensation stirring in the pit of her stomach as she slowly extended her hand to receive the message.

The jigokucho alighted on her outstretched fingertips, relaying its silent message swiftly.

_Byakuya requested her presence in his office within the hour_.

...

Coldness reigned in the pit of her stomach. Striding swiftly up the halls to Sixth, she passed a few Shinigami who recognized her - none called out greetings, only served a few stares. She held her head high, ordering one to present her to 'Kuchiki-Taichou.'

The Squad member hastened to do so, bowing deeply to the suddenly conversation-less room. Her brother was seated behind his desk, grey eyes never meeting hers, nodded to the officer of his Division, dismissing him. But that wasn't what caught her attention... no. It was her old friend from the Rukongai.

_Renji._.. the ghost of her childhood whispered forlornly. Yet the tall slightly of muscular-build male hardly fit the image of the red-haired scamp in her memory. Rukia swallowed her bitterness as Renji - coolly acknowledged, "Kuchiki-_san_." shuffled papers in his arms and stepped away from Byakuya's desk, awkwardly.

"I'll be off then, Taichou."

Byakuya said nothing to hold him there and soon Renji's shadow had passed fleetingly near her. Never touching. She bit the inside of her mouth and walked slowly forward.

"You called, nii-sama?"

He offered no seat for her. Rukia was glad at this moment for his lack of meeting her gaze directly on. Instead rather, Byakuya gazed off somewhere over her shoulder. "Yes." He murmured, gravity deepening his tone. "Only for a few questions."

A hint of nervousness gripped her_. Did he know something - suspect something_ - keeping silent, the questions ran in circles in her mind. "About what...may I ask?" she demured, careful in speaking softly, _properly_ to him.

"I presume you described the particular Hollow to the first responders at the scene yesterday evening." He began at length, his voice giving away nothing. She kept her expression precisely blank, hoping she had achieved Ulquiorra's emotionless air well.

"I did." She mimicked his seriousness, pretending she was giving the matter deep thought. "I believe it was expected of me."

Byakuya's gaze flickered, thin lids dropping over grey. Their color was unlike the stormy pewter of someone else's, rather her nii-sama's was a colder, harsher slate, sealing everything within, rendering him unreadable to her. When he next spoke, she realized she'd been staring, _comparing his eyes to Stark's_. Rukia gave herself a tiny mental shake, refocusing back to the present, keeping her impassive wall intact.

"Yet...it was not released in the official report."

She wondered distantly if Aizen had something to do with it.

"Why?" Byakuya asked pointedly - almost accusingly as if she'd deliberately withheld information from him. Rukia searched her mind, coming up a blank as to his reasons - suspicions... choosing to flavor her next words with a hint of a smile.

"Nii-sama, I do not know. I...was too focused on surviving out there. I'm afraid," her smile turned vaguely apologetic, deliberately, her violet orbs sought his. Snaring them for a half moment of fleeting unguardedness.

"I don't recall many details about the Hollow."

Silence fell.

A faint pallor descended over his face like a mask. Almost jerkily, Byakuya averted his gaze from hers, disconcertion evident in every tense line of his body. Perversely pleased at this unexpected slip of composure, she took note of it, allowing the same tiny smile to reside on her lips, ignoring the fact that it felt like acid - smiling in such a way.

"I..I see." He murmured, looking anywhere but at her. Rukia could see her very presence aggravated something within his ice cold interior, _disturbed_ - her thoughts broke off as the sliding door to the office rattled open loudly.

"Taichou!" Renji stuck his head in, faltering when Byakuya's gaze drifted to him. "Uh...I need your help..um please?" he looked so pleading that for a second she wanted to laugh. She stifled the urge however as her brother nodded curtly arising with a grace not unlike Ulquiorra's. The moment she thought it, she immediately rejected it. _There was nothing alike between them_. Stepping aside, she chose to let him go first, her gaze lowering as he passed.

"We'll speak more on this...another time." Byakuya said softly, crossing to the door. Rukia kept her gaze trained to the floor, her smile still perched on her lips. "If you wish, nii-sama." Renji's relief as her brother joined him was palpable, the excited voice of Sixth's Fukutaichou echoing long as he lead him further away - to some unknown incident.

Rukia absorbed more of the bitterness with the reflection of how little her old friend had changed- her stomach threatening to turn on the flipside of realizing how she had altered. Catching her breath, she fought off the waves of nausea, forcing the deeds of the past twenty-four hours to recede from her psyche.

For a few minutes, the cheerful hum of Squad members resuming their duties reached her - warm sunlight spilled pools across the room, slanting across the desk...highlighting a word. She espied it, snatching for the half-buried paper without thinking. Others cascaded away at her touch, the one she seeked, withdrawn to her eager eyes, scanning the rambling report.

Minutes later, the paper fluttered from her trembling hands, nearly overcome with a dozen different emotions, Rukia inhaled and exhaled a few times, attempting to process what she had just read.

...an orange-haired boy had been spotted slaying Hollows in the place called Karakura town.

_Ichigo ...it had to be him...how had he become a Shinigami?_

-TBC

AN: Thanks for reading :)

No flames- stupid comments!

Reviews loved :~)


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